Temperatures in Paris rise again to suffocating levels

Temperatures in Paris rise again to suffocating levels

Temperatures in the French capital Paris have risen again to suffocating levels, but residents and visitors now have a new way to cool off: swimming in the Seine River.

It is hard to believe that the Seine was once heavily polluted, receiving half of Paris's untreated wastewater. In fact, swimming in it was completely banned for 100 years.

Now, for the second consecutive year, public swimming areas will remain open until the end of August.

Making the Seine swimmable was one of the pledges associated with the Paris 2024 Olympics. 1.4 billion euros were spent to clean the river enough for athletes to compete in it, but the goal was always to return the river to ordinary Parisians.

In an interview with CNN, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said he wanted to reassure visitors that "water quality is excellent," considering the swimming experience in the river "a great opportunity to discover Paris in a different way."

A few years ago, the idea of swimming in the Seine seemed crazy, but this city is often said that the only "sane" thing in it is the river.