The Seine does not really make you want to swim in It. However, Anne Hidalgo has announced that she wants to make swimming possible in a clean Seine by the Olympic Games in 2024.

The Seine has become much healthier

The mayor of Paris would indeed like to organize the 10 km freestyle and triathlon events in the Seine. This is why a process of cleaning and sanitizing the river has begun. A health challenge that no longer seems as unachievable as it did a few years ago. If the Seine is not yet clean enough to accommodate swimmers, it has become much healthier. On the banks of the Seine, Parisian fishermen are catching more and more fish. A sign that pollution is decreasing in the river, According to the town hall, the quality of the Seine is already much better than 20 years ago, and 35 species of fish flourish there, against only 2 50 years ago.

To open five bathing sites in the capital

The sanitation of the river, is a real project, which goes through several stages, and in particular the stopping of the sending of waste water into the Seine. Until now, residential areas and barges dumped their dirty water into the river, with disastrous consequences for water quality and the environment. Heavy work will therefore have to be carried out to allow Ile-de-France residents to reclaim the Seine. However, if all goes well between now and the Olympic Games, it will not be possible to swim everywhere ! Bathing areas will be delimited, in particular from the Trocadéro to the Pont-Neuf, the Bois de Boulogne, near the Gare d’Austerlitz or even Bercy, which would already be a significant improvement. Today, it is indeed only possible to swim in the Seine at the Bassin de La Villette, during Paris Plages. We recommend that you wait a few more years to swim there, since the health risks are significant. It is possible to contract a skin or urinary infection, to develop gastroenteritis in the event of ingestion of water, but especially to catch leptospirosis. This bacterial disease is called rat disease, because it is transmitted by the corpses of the latter or their urine, and we know their presence in the capital. It is to be taken seriously, because the disease is fatal. Instead, prefer open or uncovered swimming pools in Paris ! The Olympics are in any case an opportunity to accelerate this project. But after 2024, the objective is that beyond the athletes, Parisians can enjoy swimming in the river. Ultimately, the project is to open five bathing sites in the capital