According to a statement released by its mayor’s office Paristhe city is preparing to realize a dream of decades: to make it Seine suitable for swimming. The goal, in essence, is to make the famous river safe for swimmers before them. olympic games 2024.

From 2025, the city is considering opening permanent swimming complexes at five points along the river: two in the city center on the right bank opposite the Cité and Saint-Louis islands, one at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, one in the Bois de Boulogne and one in Bercy, to the southeast from Paris. This network of bathing spots will begin to expand throughout the city in the same year, reaching 23 bathing spots in the Seine throughout Paris.

If, finally, the cleaning is carried out, it will coincide with the “anniversary” of 101 years from the day when Parisians were forbidden to swim in their beloved river. In 1923, the city banned swimming in the Seine. Many, of course, have since dived illegally, but the ever-increasing pollution caused by the city’s explosive development over the last century now discourages even the most daring. The extremely high levels of aquatic bacteria and the risk of transmission of the potentially fatal leptospirosis that usually occurs in rat droppings leave no choice.

However, the city claims that the danger is over. It is estimated that the first sites cleared are suitable for swimming in 91% of cases.

From 2025, the municipality of Paris is considering opening permanent swimming pools along the river.

This constant cleaning of the Seine is, of course, very costly. Paris is investing 1.4 billion euros in a massive new storm drain capable of holding 30 Olympic swimming pools. It also banned boats from dumping dirty water into the river, offering people living on them up to €6,000 to have the boat converted so it can dump into municipal waterways. Beyond the riverbanks, a citywide tree planting program has also been launched that will allow the city’s soil to absorb more rain, creating more open, permeable soil.

Pure water

Keeping the water clean in Paris is also an intractable problem. In 2017, the city allowed swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin, which flows into the Seine, but was forced to close it almost immediately after the rapid growth of bacteria in the water. Unsurprisingly, locals interviewed by Le Parisien newspaper said they highly doubt they would dive even after the clean-up work is complete.

However, if Paris can keep its waters clean, it will get much more than a short-term Olympic attraction. The city’s efforts to plant more trees and phase out concrete surfaces will not only help absorb rainwater, but will greatly amplify the environmental shift the city has been making in recent years, reducing pollution and mitigating the greenhouse effect. Making the Seine embankment available for bathing will also attract many visitors (though not to everyone’s advantage) and will contribute to the area’s biodiversity.

Opening up the river for summer fun and entertainment can also have a positive impact on future climate and environmental action, showing people that a cleaner and greener future doesn’t just require restrictive lifestyle changes, but above all offers people a more peaceful and peaceful life. inside cities.