The work to clean the green, slow-moving river through the metropolis has been going on for several years, but took proper speed in connection with the Olympic Games last year. Three constructed bathing sites for the public are now being inaugurated during the weekend.
The project has been driven through by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, and it is a part of her initiative to make Paris both greener and more accessible to pedestrians. Over 130,000 trees have been planted and roads have been converted to pedestrian paths along the shores.
But there are reasons why bathing has been prohibited in the river for over 100 years. For a long time, the river was a "dump" for the city and during the cleaning work, everything from voodoo dolls with needles, a grenade from the 19th century and a three-meter-long python has been found. In addition, between 50 and 60 dead people are fished out of the river every year.
