E.coli Levels in Paris River Raise Alarm

(IntegrityTimes.com) – Concerns are mounting over a reported increase in E.coli levels in the river Seine only days before the commencement of the Paris Olympics. Water testing company Simplex Health analyzed a sample taken from the river, which showed an amount of coliform bacteria that was high enough to pose a health hazard if ingested. The findings follow €1.4 billion, equivalent to $1.5 billion, being spent on cleaning the water.

Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of the French capital, entered the Seine for a swim on July 17 to demonstrate that the water is clean enough for marathon and triathlon competitions to be held in the river. Accompanied by 100 officials, the mayor declared that the river was safe.

Tony Estanguet, the Paris 2024 organizing committee’s president, declared that the water was “swimmable” and safe enough to host swimming competitions. He added that in the event of rainfall, which could result in an increase in water pollution, they had measures in place to postpone swimming races for a few days if necessary.

Hidalgo’s stunt followed findings in June by the monitoring group Eau de Paris. The group’s report concluded that levels of bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci were unsafe for athletes. The rise in water pollution followed ongoing heavy rain in Paris in early June. The report was published a day after a senior executive of the International Olympic Committee claimed there was “no doubt” that the swimming contests would go ahead in the river.

The public have been banned from swimming in the Seine since 1923 due to health risks. Though former French President Jacques Chirac vowed to clean up the river

during his term as the city’s mayor, he failed to make it safe enough to swim in.

Paris’s Waste and Water Department Director Benjamin Raigneau told reporters he was “fully confident” that the water would be safe in time for the competition despite the new findings of higher E. coli levels in the Seine. He added that the city had invested in making the Seine much cleaner, stating that when pollution increases ,the time it takes to decrease to a safe level is now quicker.