Swimming in the Seine: "We act as if it's extraordinary, but what's not normal is having been deprived of it for a century."

A return to normality that feels like a first. This summer in Paris, it will be possible to swim for free in the Seine, where three bathing sites are being opened by the city this Saturday, July 5. A small revolution for this great river polluted in recent decades by industrial and household waste. For a century, it was forbidden to take a dip in it because of the concentration of dangerous fecal matter (enterococci and E. coli ) and chemical compounds, but also because of the rise of river navigation. Parisians "had turned their backs on the Seine," illustrates Pierre Rabadan, deputy for Sports at the town hall.

With these dip zones, the objective is therefore to "reconnect residents" with the tempestuous waterway and to "recreate refreshment points" in urban areas, where summer seasons are increasingly stifling, continues the socialist elected official. He adds: "We are particularly targeting those who rarely or never go on vacation." In fact, "this approach is an important step in terms of social justice ," points out Marine Calmet, a lawyer at the Wild Legal association, which campaigns for the rights of nature. With the rise in global temperatures, guaranteeing access to water points for all becomes essential." The early heatwave episode<