Paris opens River Seine for public swimming for first time since 1923

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

Parisians can now swim in the River Seine legally for the first time since 1923 after a century-long ban.
The opening made possible following an extensive clean-up operation spurred on by its use as a venue in the Paris Olympics.
Three new swimming sites on the Paris riverbank will open — including one close to Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral, another near the Eiffel Tower and a third in eastern Paris.
These sites along the banks of the Seine will be able to welcome more than 1,000 swimmers daily until August 31, local officials said.
"We're especially happy to have proved the sceptics wrong and to be able to deliver on the commitments we initially made, on something that was very big and very complicated to achieve," said Pierre Rabadan, Paris deputy mayor for the Seine river.
The reopening of the Seine to the public follows a 1.4 billion euro ($2.52 billion) clean-up project tied to last year's Olympics.
Officials said the river met European water quality standards on most days.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who already took a dip last year, was there Saturday morning, local time, holding up a transparent bottle filled with river water as a show of confidence.
Environmental authorities confirmed bacteria levels were well below official thresholds.
Daily water quality tests will be conducted during the swimming season, with green and red flags — similar to those used in beach safety systems — indicating whether swimming areas are open or closed.
Along with the three sites within Paris, 14 swimming areas outside the capital's boundaries will be set up on the Seine and the Marne rivers.
Two of those already opened on the Marne in June.
Swimming in the Seine has been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation.
Woos and cries of joy echoed across the riverbanks as the first swimmers entered the emerald-green water.
Every swimmer wore a bright yellow life buoy tied around their waist, part of the strict safety measures enforced by a dozen lifeguards in high-visibility vests.
'It's so nice to swim in the heart of the city, especially with the high temperatures we've been having lately,' said Amine Hocini, a 25-year-old construction worker from Paris.
Lucile Woodward, 43, a resident, said: 'This is so chic, to swim in the Seine, next to Île Saint-Louis.
'There are some apprehensions, of course, any time you go to swim somewhere, but I think this is one of the most tested areas in the whole world now.
She added with a laugh: 'My skin is OK".
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