The Seine River is set to host many events for the Paris 2024 Olympics, yet the water quality of the river has not met the requirements for holding the competitions.
On July 18, the Mayor of Paris, the head of the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee, along with several government officials and local swimmers, swam in the Seine to demonstrate that the water here is safe. However, subsequent test results showed the opposite.
E.coli levels in the Seine River currently stand at 985 units.
According to the plan, the Seine River will host the triathlon and marathon swimming events. However, as of the test results released on July 26, the water quality in the Seine remains below the necessary standards for swimming.
The survey group reported that E.coli levels in the Seine River are currently at 985 units, slightly above the safe threshold of 900 units. However, further downstream, the results have fallen below the safe threshold.
During the recent opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, the capital of France experienced heavy rainfall, raising concerns about whether the long-polluted waterway is clean enough to host swimming events, as water quality is closely related to weather conditions.
For a long time, weather issues have been a cause of pollution in the Seine. Heavy rains inundate Paris’s drainage system, leading to the emergency discharge of untreated wastewater into the Seine.
Swimming in the Seine has been prohibited for over a century. Since 2015, Paris has invested €1.4 billion to build infrastructure and attempt to clean the Seine River. The plan includes constructing a massive underground water reservoir in central Paris, renovating drainage infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.
