These bleak photos shows what happens to swimming pools after they've been abandoned for years

REUTERS/Siegfried Modola

An abandoned swimming pool in the Central Africa Republic.

• Swimming pools get abandoned because of natural disasters, poor management, and other reasons.
• Years later, images of the pools are often bleak and eerie.

We usually think of swimming pools as places for fun, relaxation, and exercise.

But what happens when those pools are abandoned and left to nature?

A number of factors can lead to a pool's abandonment, from mismanagement to natural disasters to political unrest. But no matter the cause, the resulting images are often eerie and bleak.

Here are 10 photos that show what swimming pools look like once they're abandoned for good.