Anne Hidalgo has committed to diving into the Seine on Sunday June 23 to demonstrate that the river is swimmable for the Olympics. The waters therefore have a month to become sufficiently clean.
A date circled in the diaries of Parisians. Wednesday May 22, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, announced that she will dive into the Seine on Sunday June 23, on the occasion of Olympic Day. A moment intended to show the general public that the waters of the river are swimmable before the Olympics. In the event of unpredictable weather, Anne Hidalgo’s jump could be postponed.
The announcement of this dive obviously did not go unnoticed. On the banks of the Seine, Parisians remain skeptical about the swimmability of the river. “I think its color is a bit haphazard and the scents that emanate from it don’t necessarily make you want to take a dip,” Pierre-Louis told BFM Paris Île-de-France.
“We can’t change overnight, it’s been banned from swimming for a very long time so why would it be put back just for the Olympics?” asks Karine.
Fecal bacteria in the water
The concern of these Parisians is corroborated by the results of studies by the Surfrider foundation. The NGO recently took samples from the Seine on the section which will host the aquatic events of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The observed data show the significant presence of fecal bacteria in the water.
“It appears that of these 14 samples, taken both following heavy rains and on sunny days, only 1 allowed our team to conclude that the water quality of the Seine was even satisfactory. this particular location,” Surfrider wrote in his report.
Faced with the results of this study published at the beginning of April, the Paris town hall was quick to react. The city was surprised by “the temporality of such a study, the samples of which were taken outside the summer season” while recalling that “the Seine is in no way intended to welcome bathers from mid-September to June , including for security reasons.
The water quality of the Seine has also suffered from sustained precipitation over recent months. “On the Alma bridge, in summer weather, we are at levels that are acceptable for swimming, but it only takes one rain for it to deteriorate,” warns Françoise Lucas, professor of ecology. microbial research at Paris-Est Créteil University.
“There is a plan A and a plan B”
The triathlon events are scheduled to begin in the river on July 31. During the event, samples will be taken regularly. In the event of a poor result, the organization could postpone the competition days.
“We have contingency days which are already planned and included in the calendar for the 2024 Games. There is a plan A and a plan B to deal with all situations,” assures Benjamin Maze, national technical director at the French federation triathlon.
Despite the risks of water unfit for swimming, the Paris town hall remains confident, in particular thanks to the inauguration, on April 23, of the large water depollution station at Champigny-sur-Marne.
“There are large structures that have been built in 93 and 94. These are structural structures that capture rainwater and prevent overflow, which are the main factor in degrading the quality of the water. water”, reassures Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
To guarantee the quality of the Seine, communities have paid 1.4 billion euros into various works. “It’s a collective mobilization which clearly shows that the Olympics are an accelerator, thanks to them, we will have done this work,” indicates Marc Guillaume, prefect of Île-de-France. For the region, the objective goes further than hosting the events in 2024. In fact, it hopes to make the entire Seine swimmable by 2025.
Johan Chérify with Sylvain Allemand
