Malaga province residents complain of 'brown challenge' that closes public swimming pools

Given the news of such reccurring incidents, however, they all fear it can happen again. Swimming pools in Malaga province keep closing following the execution of the so-called "brown challenge" that circulates on social media.

The viral trend consists in, basically, defecating in swimming pools and sharing the video online.

Whether it's down to this tasteless prank or to "accidents" caused by young children, the reality is that in many residential developments faecal bacteria in swimming pools has become a recurring problem that is driving residents mad.

When routine tests show the presence of faecal bacteria, authorities have to close the pool, disinfect and retest, as per protocol.

In Alejandro's residential development, faecal matter was visible and the tests subsequently revealed high levels of bacteria. The disinfection process and subsequent retesting took two weeks, during which time the swimming pool remained closed in the middle of a heatwave.

"It was absolutely outrageous to discover that the person responsible for the disruption was an adult," Alejandro says.

Residents in Javier's housing development are also convinced that the frequent appearance of faeces in their swimming pool is more than just a simple leak. "We think it's people sneaking in at night. We've thought about installing floodlights. It's the only thing we can think of to deter them," he says.

According to Javier's estimates, the closure of the swimming pool has impacted 200 families. "We've decided not to swim there for the rest of the summer. It's absolutely disgusting," he says.

In the La Cala housing development where Andrea lives, residents are fed up with the swimming pool closing due to faecal matter. She says that her residents' association does not know how to deal with such situations.

"We drain the pool and let the chlorine do its job, but we don't know if there's a specific protocol," Andrea states. The truth is that there is: regional regulations set out exactly the steps to follow when faecal matter is detected in a swimming pool.

If these rules are not followed, residents are exposed to the risk of infection and there can be administrative penalties for the residents' association, which may result in the temporary or permanent closure of the swimming pool and fines of varying amounts depending on the severity of the offence.

In José's residential development, the swimming pool has already been closed several times so far this summer. In this case, rather than the "brown challenge", residents believe it is down to accidents involving young children who go into the water without nappies.

This has already caused some friction within the residents' association. "In the WhatsApp groups, there are people saying that parents should be more careful," José says.

The "brown challenge" trend is nothing new. It first appeared under this name on TikTok between 2018 and 2019. Last year, more than 300 swimming pools closed during the summer in Spain due to this phenomenon.

The Malaga association of property managers states that, as yet, it has no records of cases that could be classified as part of the "brown challenge". However, the cases residents highlight in this report make it clear that the trend is still ongoing.

"Our involvement in these cases is limited to informing residents of the incident and notifying them of the closure until the test results show the correct values. Preventive measures are carried out by the maintenance companies," Jorge Bravo, who manages several housing developments, explains.

There are two types of tests to check that the water is in good condition: those carried out daily by maintenance staff, which measure basic parameters (pH and chlorine levels, among others), and monthly tests in laboratories that analyse microbiological parameters. It is in these latter tests that the presence of faecal bacteria is detected.

The most common bacterium in these cases is E. coli (Escherichia coli). Harmful bacteria are released as soon as faecal matter enters the water, but the longer the water remains untreated, the more pathogens will be released.

Diarrhoea, dehydration and urinary tract infections are some of the health issues that E. coli can cause. "It is a bacterium that forms part of the gut microbiota of humans and warm-blooded animals," medical portal Clínica de Asturias saus. These bacteria, which generally aid digestion and help the body produce vitamins, can in such cases become a source of illness in the digestive and urinary systems.

However, this is not the only risk factor. Cryptosporidium (or Crypto) is a very common parasite found in water contaminated with faecal matter. It can appear following bouts of diarrhoea and takes an average of 10.6 days to be eliminated, even with chlorine and the necessary measures.

There is an added risk if the pool is not strictly closed while the disinfection process is taking place. This is because the increased chlorine levels in the water can cause breathing difficulties or chemical burns if swimmers enter the pool during this time.

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