Paris wouldn’t be Paris without the Seine.
The 780-kilometre-long river runs through the City of Lights and winds around the majestic Eiffel Tower. It not only welcomes visitors to the French capital’s sights, but also supports centuries-old UNESCO-protected monuments on its banks. Historical French bookstall. It is as integral a part of the Parisian experience as the Thames is to London.
Although the Seine is considered the most romantic river in the world due to its location, that’s not the first thought that comes to mind when gazing at the Seine’s murky, sometimes foul-smelling waters.
Over the past few months, the Seine has been preparing to play another role: taking center stage at the controversial 2024 Paris Olympics, which kick off later this month.
French authorities seek to put the Seine in the spotlight at the global event, which is as much an opportunity for theatrics and soft power as it is a platform for sporting talent.
Paris announced plans to clean up the river and open it to swimming for the first time in 100 years (although Parisians have taken a dip in the river many times since). More firsts followed – Olympic organizers took the unusual step of saying the opening ceremony would be held outside the stadium, on the Seine River, sparking security concerns. President Emmanuel Macron also joined the campaign and vowed to swim in the river to prove it was safe.
Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images
He is not the first president to do so – in 1990, Paris mayor-turned-President Jacques Chirac also said he would clean up the river and take a dip in it.
But beyond the ambitious stunts, the Seine’s cleanup also reflects the current challenges associated with such a large-scale effort, especially if the work is of historical importance. Paris hosts the Olympics for the first time in a century. Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin was the driving force behind the revival of the Olympics in the late 19th century, making the event even more important to organizers.
Despite high hopes for the Seine, it has had a difficult few months. With just weeks to go before the Olympics and a $1.5 billion cleanup effort underway, questions remain about the river’s readiness for swimming. The Paris mayor’s office announced Thursday that the water quality of the Seine River has begun to improve after a series of failed tests.
“This positive development is the result of the return of sunshine and warmth and the work carried out as part of the strategy to improve the water quality of the Seine,” the office said in a statement. However, given the wet weather and the level of pollution in the Seine, There is a delicate connection between the two countries, and the situation may still change before the Olympic Games begins.
In June, the Seine was turned into a site of protest, with activists threatening to defecate in the river for the same reason, reflecting the fact that the river is an important but sensitive part of the Olympics. But historian and global sports expert Lindsay Krasnoff said without the impetus from the Olympics, there might not have been much incentive to make progress in cleaning up such an iconic river. wealth.
“The Seine plays this binary role between us Emily in Paris The postcard moment and the reality of being a living, working, breathing river,” Krasnov said.
Last month, E. coli levels exceeded safety thresholds in a test conducted by water quality monitoring group Eau de Paris. Ironically, these results were announced after IOC executive Christophe Dubey said he was “confident that we will be swimming in the Seine this summer” and had “no reason to doubt” that the Games would go ahead as planned.
This river is both the background and the protagonist of the Paris Olympics. Its appearance can provide a reference for future Olympic organizers.
Joel Saget—AFP/Getty Images
Committed to cleaning up the Seine
Paris’s efforts to clean up the Seine are not new. The results of the decades-long endeavor can be seen in the proliferation of fish species it inhabits, from three species in the 1970s to about 35 now.
But reversing years of waste dumped into the river will be no easy task. The plumbing systems of many Parisian homes still have direct outlets to rivers rather than wastewater discharge pipes, and homeowners have to pay out of pocket to change this.
Jay Famiglietti, a professor at Arizona State University who specializes in sustainability and global water risks, said the effects of climate change also play a role in how the Seine adapts to cleanup efforts. Heavy rainfall can flood sewer systems, allowing untreated water to enter the Seine.
“Today, these incidents are happening with increasing frequency,” Famiglietti told us. wealth. “If there is one thing that may have been overlooked in the planning [of the Paris Olympics]which may explain the fact that the frequency of these severe storms is increasing.
In recent months, authorities have tried various measures to clean up the Seine, including building a reservoir to prevent water from entering the river and degrading its quality.
Predicting the forces of climate change and its impact on large-scale projects like cleaning up the Seine can be tricky, although Paris authorities have been working on it for years.
“Do we have 100 percent guarantee? The answer is no,” said Pierre Rabadan, the deputy mayor of Paris who is in charge of Olympic planning. New York Times in May. “If it rains for a week straight before a game, we know the quality of the water — even with all the work that’s been done — is probably not going to be great.”
Representatives from Paris 2024 organizing committee have yet to return wealthRequest for comment.
Gao Jing—Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images
Looking to the future
Weather changes aside, Parisians aren’t sure they’ll be taking a dip in the Seine – made even worse when its water keeps failing pollution tests. It’s unclear what might happen to some Olympic events if the river water doesn’t meet safety standards. French Sports Minister Amélie Oudia-Castella said earlier this year that “there is no Plan B” because some form of Plan A involving cleaning up the river would have to work.
To be sure, a project like the Seine might succeed or it might fail. Cornell University professor Jennifer Minner specializes in the impact of mass events on the places where they are held. In the past, large-scale events have promoted the beautification of urban landscapes, such as Shanghai’s Houtan Park created before the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
But there have been some shocking failures – Rio de Janeiro infamously failed to clean up Guanabara Bay despite making lofty promises ahead of the 2016 Olympics. While the jury is still out on the Seine, Paris is setting an example for future Olympics.
“Mega-events such as the Olympics and World Expos can serve as catalysts or accelerators for various urban transformations. They spark people’s imagination about how host cities and regions can develop and change,” Minner said. wealth. She said that by promoting the role of urban ecology, Paris could set a precedent for future Olympics.
We can also learn some lessons about river cleanups from the Paris case: it will require more than just scrambling in the years leading up to deadlines.
“We’ve seen time and time again that rivers can be restored…it just takes long-term commitment. It can’t be political caprice because it will never happen,” Famiglietti said.
Paris still plans to open the Seine to the public next year. However, with a possible change of government and the sporting event cycle set to end in August, it’s unclear whether cleaning up the Seine will become a priority for France’s leaders.
The Seine Project shows what it means to be a city hosting a grand event beyond the glitz and glamor. Paris is setting out to make this Olympics the most sustainable to date by minimizing the use of new venues and recycling water at various sporting events. Los Angeles plans to redouble their efforts in 2028 when the hosting baton is handed to them.
“We want to help redefine what it means and what it takes to host the Olympics and Paralympics, taking into account environmental and sustainability issues… This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Krasnov said.
