How Paris Cleaned the Seine River Before the Olympics

Paris authorities, has been dirty and smelly for years They announced that they have taken a big step in cleaning the Seine River and are finally about to make this dream a reality.

City to prepare river water for Olympic Games worked meticulously and the results seem promising.

Eight years ago, Paris city officials decided to clean up the Seine River.

With this decision, a series of measures were taken to improve the water quality of the river. To clean the water of the river new treatment system and infrastructure investments done.

A basin constructed for rainwater.

For example, a cathedral-sized floodwater basin was built under the Gare D’Austerlitz train station. 50,000 cubic meters of rainwater It can capture floodwater and pump it back into the sewer system when water levels drop.

But how can these measures be so effective?

According to neurobiologist Dr. Ravi Allada, the systems Paris implemented, water quality of the river significantly increased. However, the process is not limited to infrastructure investments only.

At the same time, there are financial incentives for households and boat owners around the city. awareness campaigns was also organized.

Thanks to this, at least 10,000 rural households and boat owners stopped discharging their toilet waste directly into the river and directed to the sewer system. Well, how much do you think it cost?

Total cost of the cleaning operation 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) The super sewer line built in the south alone cost 300 million euros.

So what about the results? Was this cleaning really worth it?

If the sole purpose was to create a new river swimming area, the answer would probably be no. But when looking at the project from a different perspective, using the attention and interest brought by the Olympics It was a smart move to make important infrastructure investments that would otherwise have been neglected.

Cleaning the Seine River, Paris as sustainability capital and increase brand value It helped. Paris isn’t the only place that offers swimming in the city center.

Zurich, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo also have similar facilities, but Paris has so many in a narrow river the only city to have completed a major project happened.

Other content that may interest you: