Paris has had to cope with quite a bit of rainfall recently, and this has resulted – as is actually always the case with heavy rainfall – in a significant deterioration in the water quality of the Seine. In fact, the water quality is so bad at the moment that the river – where triathlon and open water swimming, among other events, are about to take place during the Olympics – will no longer be swimmable in a few days, according to one of the city’s senior administrators.
Marc Guillaume, the city administrator sounding the alarm, then comes up with some mathematical calculations that are supposed to show that the water quality is inadequate. A simple conclusion according to him is that the investment of 1.4 billion euros – to get the water quality at least to an acceptable level for the Olympics and the years after – is not enough under current conditions. With just five weeks until the Olympics, the situation is precarious, to say the least. Recently, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, France’s Minister of Sport, stated that it will be a “lasting achievement” of the city of Paris if the river proves swimmable.
For now, it seems to be mostly hoping for good weather in Paris. Mayor Anne Hidalgo recently let it be known that she is confident of that.
