Paris Olympics 2024: The River Seine, how safe is it?
The Seine will host key Olympic events, but its water quality is a concern. Despite persistent E. coli issues, organizers remain confident.
Could Paris set a new standard for river cleanups worldwide?
Read more: https://shorturl.at/5oEDL
#Paris2024 #Olympics
Could Paris set a new standard for river cleanups worldwide?
Read more: https://shorturl.at/5oEDL
#Paris2024 #Olympics
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NewsTranscript
00:00The River Seine flows through the heart of the French capital, winding past the Louvre Museum, streaming underneath the Eiffel Tower.
00:09It will play a central role in Paris' city centre games.
00:13The long distance swimming and the aquatic leg of the triathlon are both set to take place in the river as long as it is safe.
00:21Regular tests on the river have shown that the levels of bacteria, especially E. coli in the Seine,
00:27have been a persistent problem in the months leading up to the games, and it's been a real concern for organisers.
00:34Speaking to CGTN, the head of the organising committee for the Olympics said there was no change to the plan for the events in the Seine.
00:42We are still confident with the delivery of the competitions on the River Seine and the opening ceremony on the River Seine.
00:49We knew from the beginning that the plan that we decided was really aligned with the good conditions at the end of July,
00:58and we knew that we never tested this to make feasible during the winter or even spring.
01:10But some Parisians have taken matters, or in this case magnets, into their own hands.
01:16Theo spends his free time cleaning the canals in the north of the city.
01:21He removes discarded metal objects from wires and batteries to knives and even bullets from the water.
01:30Here we have yet another bullet. We often find them here due to the wars in the past.
01:35I think it's from a Colt .45 used by the Americans.
01:39He is one of a number of people who do this in Paris,
01:43but he thinks the city authorities missed out by not letting magnet fishers help with the cleaning operation.
01:52I think that if we had done it two years ago, the river quality would have been a bit better.
01:57Not perfect, of course, as it's not just about objects polluting the river.
02:01It's mainly about bacteria and less about the objects.
02:05But I think we could have done better for the Olympics.
02:08The Paris authorities have spent more than a billion dollars on plans to make the river swimmable.
02:13A giant water tank has been built here underground.
02:17It will collect rain runoff and prevent waste water from entering the Seine.
02:21The tank can hold the equivalent of 20 Olympic swimming pools of dirty water.
02:26If Paris does succeed in cleaning up the Seine, the project may become a blueprint for cities across the world.
02:33And the legacy ambition is that from next year,
02:36Parisians will be able to follow in the swim strokes of Olympic champions and bathe in the river once more.
02:43Ross Cullen, CGTN, Paris.