PARIS, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Olympic triathletes dove into the Seine River on July 31, celebrating the reopening of the river to swimmers after a century-long ban due to pollution. The improved water quality in the Seine could be considered a special Paris Olympic legacy for the future.
Water quality in the Seine was a major concern for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yet France kept its promise to "ensure that the Seine is swimmable for the Paris Olympics" and kept bacteria levels within acceptable limits as part of its bid to host the Games.
"Today the Seine is swimming, and that's a real victory," David Lappartient, president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, told French media on Monday during the mixed triathlon relay race.
Thanks to the extensive reconstruction of the city led by Baron Haussmann, then Prefect of the Seine appointed by Napoleon III, a huge sewer system was built in Paris in the mid-19th century. Large sewer tunnels were built under the streets to improve the sewage system and the water supply of Paris.
According to the French Swimming Federation, when Paris hosted the first Olympic Games in 1900, swimming competitions were held in the Seine, where Parisians could swim.
Since 1923, however, bathing in this river has been banned due to severe pollution caused by the rapid industrial development and population growth in Paris in the early 20th century. This ban remained in place for 100 years.
Efforts to improve water quality in the Seine have never stopped. Since 2015, the French government and local authorities have invested more than 1.4 billion euros (about $1.5 billion) in the cleanup, with the goal of hosting open-water events during the Olympic and Paralympic Games and allowing the public to swim in the Seine at three bathing sites starting in 2025, Paris City Hall said in a statement.
The Austerlitz rainwater tank with a capacity of approximately 50,000 cubic metres was commissioned at the end of May and is used to store wastewater and rainwater during heavy rainfall. The collected water will be transferred to the treatment plant and, once the required hygiene criteria have been met, will be discharged into the Seine.
Ultraviolet systems were installed at two wastewater treatment plants near the Seine. A monitoring group has been set up to detect and locate possible pollution. An Olympic law was adopted prohibiting boats at anchor from flushing directly into the river.
In July, ahead of the Olympic Games, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet took a dip in the Seine. This proved that the water quality of the river is good enough to host the Olympic swimming events.
After the triathlon races ended on July 31, Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters that the water samples in the Seine that were tested that morning met World Triathlon's standards for safe racing.
Thanks to the extensive reconstruction of the city led by Baron Haussmann, then Prefect of the Seine appointed by Napoleon III, a huge sewer system was built in Paris in the mid-19th century. Large sewer tunnels were built under the streets to improve the sewage system and the water supply of Paris.
According to the French Swimming Federation, when Paris hosted the first Olympic Games in 1900, swimming competitions were held in the Seine, where Parisians could swim.
Since 1923, however, bathing in this river has been banned due to severe pollution caused by the rapid industrial development and population growth in Paris in the early 20th century. This ban remained in place for 100 years.
Efforts to improve water quality in the Seine have never stopped. Since 2015, the French government and local authorities have invested more than 1.4 billion euros (about $1.5 billion) in the cleanup, with the goal of hosting open-water events during the Olympic and Paralympic Games and allowing the public to swim in the Seine at three bathing sites starting in 2025, Paris City Hall said in a statement.
The Austerlitz rainwater tank with a capacity of approximately 50,000 cubic metres was commissioned at the end of May and is used to store wastewater and rainwater during heavy rainfall. The collected water will be transferred to the treatment plant and, once the required hygiene criteria have been met, will be discharged into the Seine.
Ultraviolet systems were installed at two wastewater treatment plants near the Seine. A monitoring group has been set up to detect and locate possible pollution. An Olympic law was adopted prohibiting boats at anchor from flushing directly into the river.
In July, ahead of the Olympic Games, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet took a dip in the Seine. This proved that the water quality of the river is good enough to host the Olympic swimming events.
After the triathlon races ended on July 31, Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters that the water samples in the Seine that were tested that morning met World Triathlon's standards for safe racing.
(photo: Martin Bureau)Xinhua/gnews.cz-roz
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