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One month from the Paris Olympics, tests reveal the River Seine is still unfit for swimming

The latest water quality tests on the Seine show that the the river is still too polluted to swim in. And with a range of water sports scheduled to take place along the Seine in central Paris during next month's Olympic Games, organisers are hoping that the July sun will be enough to make the river fit for the world's top athletes.

A flotilla of boats cruises on the Seine river during a test for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris, France on June 17, 2024. © Benoit Tessier, Reuters

A flotilla of boats cruises on the Seine river during a test for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris, France on June 17, 2024. © Benoit Tessier, Reuters

The river Seine is still failing water quality tests one month before the Paris Olympics when it is scheduled to host the open-water swimming competition and the swimming leg of the triathlon, results showed Friday. 

The latest tests, completed last week and released by the Paris mayor's office, showed levels of the E.Coli bacteria – an indicator of faecal matter – are far above the upper limits imposed by sports federations.

On June 18, the level of E.Coli was 10 times acceptable levels and at no point did it fall below the upper limit of 1,000 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres (cfu/ml) used by the World Triathlon Federation.

The readings for enterococci bacteria were better, but they were still at unsafe levels for several days last week.

 

FRANCE IN FOCUS © FRANCE 24

"Water quality remains degraded because of unfavourable hydrological conditions, little sunshine, below-average seasonal temperatures and upstream pollution," the mayor's office said in a statement. 

French authorities have spent 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in the last decade trying to clean up the river by improving the Paris sewerage system, as well as building new water treatment and storage facilities.

But major storms still overwhelm the capital's waste water network, some of which dates back to the 19th century, leading to discharges of untreated sewage directly into the river.

After months of unusually wet weather, the Seine is currently high up its banks, with its flow around four to five times higher than its usual level in the summer months, according to recent readings.

Organisers insist that some dry weather and sunshine in July should be sufficient to make the Seine fit for the outdoor swimming events.

(AFP)

Author: Editors Desk

Source: France 24

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