Paris, which the French consider themselves the capital of romance, is facing an unprecedented embarrassment on the eve of the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Due to the severe pollution of the Seine, the Olympic triathlon may cancel one of the most distinctive swimming events.
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This was an unprecedented accident for the IOC and completely disrupted the French's plans to present "Romantic Paris" to the world. Nowadays, when people mention the Seine, it is no longer the poetic scene of the past, but only the picture of "and urine, and the stench is amazing".
1. The terrible pollution of the Seine
According to photos and videos circulating on the Internet, the surface of the Seine River is covered with a large number of floating branches and sediment, mixed with unidentified waste. What makes people even more desperate is that the river itself is turbid and black, and you can faintly see a large area of unidentified waste floating in it, and the diffuse smell can be imagined to be extraordinary.
Many netizens called this "no longer a river, but a pool of sewage or a poisonous pool". According to measurements, the level of E. coli in the water of the Seine exceeds French and international standards by more than 10 times, reaching an unimaginably high level. This is a wake-up call for the upcoming triathlon event on the Seine, and it is impossible to imagine the psychological and physical stress that athletes competing in this sewage will endure.
2. The reasons behind the pollution of the Seine
So, why did the Seine fall into such a miserable state? There are several main reasons:
1. Overload of sewage in the urban area of Paris. The structure of the pipe network in the old town of Paris is complex, and many sewers have been blocked and silted up over the years, putting a lot of pressure on the river drainage.
2. Industrial and agricultural wastewater into the river. In the Seine River Basin, many crop residues and industrial wastewater are dumped into the river, polluting the river's ecological environment for a long time.
3. Poor hydrological conditions. The slow flow of the Seine River makes it impossible to drain all kinds of waste in time, and the pollutants are difficult to dilute for a long time.
4. Lack of awareness of governance. The negligence and decentralization of the French government and environmental protection authorities in the remediation of pollution in the Seine River are also one of the internal factors.
As a result, this famous "river of romance" has fallen into an unbearable step, adding to the blockage of the upcoming Olympic Games ahead of schedule.
3. The Olympic Games were forced to cancel the swimming event
Faced with such a bad pollution of the Seine, the IOC had to face up to this dilemma. After an emergency meeting, the Organising Committee said that the Seine River water quality does not meet the standards of international swimming competitions, and in order to protect the health of athletes, the swimming event of the triathlon event scheduled for the Seine 2024 is likely to be cancelled. This is undoubtedly an unprecedented embarrassment for both France and the Olympic Organizing Committee.
This means that one of the signature events of the Olympic Games will be overhauled, and it will once again deal a heavy blow to the image of Paris as a "romantic city" internationally, and people's impression of the city's beauty will change from "on the banks of the Seine" to "on the banks of the feces". For the French government, preparations for the Olympic Games have been made even more difficult, and the reputation and economic benefits are unpredictable. At that time, the banks of the Seine River will become a "no man's land", which will also greatly affect the atmosphere of the Olympic Games and the experience of spectators.
Fourth, this triggers the trend of environmental protection
However, there is also a view that the Seine incident may be an opportunity for France to strengthen environmental governance. On the one hand, the French government needs to review its previous problems in urban planning and pollution control, and comprehensively optimize the construction of water conservancy facilities. On the other hand, it can also motivate the public to give a good hand and work together to promote pollution control.
For example, in Paris, volunteers can be organized to clean up the banks of rivers on a regular basis to reduce the amount of pollution that is discharged, industrial companies need to strengthen their own treatment of waste water and gases, and the government should introduce stricter environmental regulations.
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