The River Seine, which is supposed to host open-water swimming and the swimming part of the triathlon at the upcoming Paris Olympics, has been declared unsafe for swimming just a month before the games.
Despite a £1.2 billion project to clean the river, recent tests show the water quality is still poor.
This news has angered locals, who are planning a protest where they threaten to defecate in the river to show their frustration with the wasted money.
The protest was initially planned for June 23 to highlight the government’s failure to clean the river.
President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo have promised to swim in the river to prove it’s safe, but their assurances haven’t eased concerns.
The city has even installed toilets along the riverbanks to discourage people from polluting the river.
Water quality in the Seine has been a long-term issue. In April, a French water charity found high levels of pollution, with E.
coli and enterococci bacteria exceeding safe limits. The charity, Surfrider Foundation, took 14 samples over six months and found the water dangerous in all but one test.
READ ALSO:- Fact-check: Biden, Trump Claims In First Debate
Last year, a test swimming event for the Olympics was canceled because of poor water quality.
Athletes are now calling for a “plan B” to avoid swimming in the Seine. Open-water swimmer Leah Crisp said Olympians are worried about the water quality and its impact on their health.
With the Olympics starting on July 26, the situation is urgent. The city’s sewage system, which can overflow during heavy rain, is a major cause of the problem.
While some samples were taken during an unusually wet winter, the river’s water quality is still not safe for swimming.
As the Olympics approach, both Parisians and athletes worldwide are left wondering how this problem arose and what can be done to fix it in time.