Government efforts to revive the romantic river
The Paris city government plans to allow the public to swim in the Seine River for free at certain locations from next summer. The 2024 Paris Olympics will therefore be the final important test before the river can be revived. Recently, the mayor of Paris - Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine to prove that the river has been treated for pollution, ensuring the 2024 Olympics.
The mayor of Paris swam in the Seine River to prove that the water quality in this river is guaranteed.
Compared to many other rivers in the world, the Seine is not dirty or polluted, but it just does not fully meet France's strict standards. The problem is that depending on the weather, there are times when the river's water quality is very poor if samples are taken in winter, right after heavy rains.
For the past decade, the French government and local authorities have been working hard to implement the Bathing Plan, investing 1.4 billion euros to clean up the Seine. The most important project is to rebuild the sewer system upstream of the Seine, which has been dumping untreated wastewater into the river. To ensure the Games, the government has been releasing weekly water quality analysis results from the beginning of June.
By early July, the first results showed a more positive situation, that is, the area near the Alexandre III bridge, where the competitions will take place, the river water meets swimming standards. The problem is that in the event of heavy rain, untreated water, including stormwater and wastewater, can flow into the Seine. To avoid this, water storage facilities were built before the Games.
The French government is trying to "revive" the Seine River for the 2024 Olympics.
French President Emmanuel Macron shared: “Thanks to strong state investment, together with the city of Paris and the Val-de-Marne department, in four years we have achieved what was not possible in 100 years: turning the Seine into a swimming place.”
The Seine River is considered by Time magazine as the most romantic river in the world, and has inspired many French writers and poets. Victor Hugo once associated the Seine River with oblivion or death in his work "Les Misérables". For French poet Jacques Prévert, the Seine River is like a "lucky girl", without worries or sadness, still flowing peacefully amidst the misery of the capital city of Paris.
The beauty of the romantic Seine River.
French President Emmanuel Macron has stressed France's goal of making the Seine and Marne rivers safe to swim on, with investment coming in half from the state budget. The French leader affirmed that this would be one of the "most beautiful legacies that the 2024 Olympics will leave for France".
The French President affirmed that the Seine River will be the most beautiful legacy in the history of the 2024 Olympics.
For the Games to take place, the water quality of the Seine must be up to standard. Of course, the Seine does not please everyone. There has been strong criticism from Belgian athlete Jolien Vermeylen, who said that the organizers are “testing the health of the athletes”. Between now and the end of the Games, many more Games are scheduled to take place on the Seine.
Athletes perform the combined event on the Seine River.
The triathlon relay race will take place in the coming time, followed by the 10km swim on August 8 and 9. The organizers plan that if water quality conditions are not guaranteed, the race on the Seine River will be postponed and take place at another location.
