Judul : Famous for Being Dirty, the Seine River in Paris Now Opened as a Public Swimming Spot
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Famous for Being Dirty, the Seine River in Paris Now Opened as a Public Swimming Spot
PARIS, Best for you— The Seine River, long known as one of the most polluted waterways in the heart of Europe, has finally been reopened to the public for swimming on Saturday (7/5/2025)—the first time in more than 100 years.
This step is the peak of a 1.4 billion euro (about Rp 26 trillion) cleanup project carried out ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
After decades as a symbol of urban pollution, the Seine now meets European water quality standards and is ready to be a safe, beautiful, and historic swimming place.
The people of Paris and tourists welcomed this historic moment with great enthusiasm.
"This is a symbolic moment when we reclaim our river," said fitness trainer and local influencer Lucile Woodward, who participated in the first open amateur swimming competition in the Seine.
"We want to set an example that swimming here is safe and enjoyable. Once people see hundreds of people having fun, everyone also wants to try," he added.
Opened at three iconic points
Three new riverside locations are now open for swimming, each near Notre-Dame Cathedral, near the Eiffel Tower, and in the eastern part of Paris.
Special wooden decks were built at several points, such as Ile Saint-Louis, so that the community can enter and exit the water safely.
Before sunrise, city workers swept the remaining algae from the water's surface. Not long after, the line of residents began to form.
Under the supervision of dozens of lifeguards, each swimmer wears a bright yellow floatation device strapped around the waist.
"This is amazing. I didn't expect the water to be warm," said Amine Hocini (25), a construction worker from Paris.
"Especially with the hot weather like now, it's really refreshing to swim in the city," he added.
Pollution in the Seine River
For more than a century, swimming in the Seine was forbidden due to heavy pollution, including household waste directly dumped into the river.
However, now, houses along the river are required to be connected to the city's drainage system.
New disinfection facilities and large retention ponds have also been built to handle wastewater runoff during heavy rains.
"Since early June, water quality test results have shown consistency with European regulations," explained Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan.
"We use a flag system like on the beach; green means it's safe to swim, red means it's not," he added.
According to Marc Guillaume, the prefect of the Île-de-France region, water quality is now far below the allowed bacterial limits.
"Regarding E. coli, we are ten times below the limit, and for enterococci even more than 25 times below," he said.
Still there is skepticism
Although welcomed with excitement, not everyone immediately believed it. Francois Fournier, a resident living by the river, chose to just watch from the bridge.
"I have seen things floating in this river that you cannot imagine," he said.
"I will wait until it is completely clean," Fournier stated firmly.
Skepticism also comes from the scientific community. Angelescu, CEO of the water quality monitoring technology company Fluidion, said, "The water quality in the Seine varies greatly. The official testing methods still have limitations and may not detect all risks."
However, some residents see this effort as a childhood dream that has finally come true. "It's like a dream coming true," said Clea Montanari, project manager in Paris.
"Once in a while, if we can drink from the Seine, that would be amazing. But just being able to swim now is already amazing," he said.
Open free until the end of August
This summer, swimming locations are open for free until the end of August.
The minimum age for visitors is determined according to the location — between 10 and 14 years old — and all areas are supervised by lifeguards. Swimming outside the official area is prohibited for safety reasons.
For Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who already experienced the Seine's water last year, this achievement is the result of years of hard work.
"This is a childhood dream, making people swim again in the Seine," he said while lifting a bottle containing clear river water.
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