Wastewater has become a new political issue in Europe, as climate change is likely to lead to flash floods and overloading of sewer systems, Azernews reports.
This applies not only to pollution of the Seine and Thames. Many European cities, such as the Belgian Ghent, have centuries-old infrastructure that has not even been cleaned of a large amount of household and industrial waste. It is noted that a violent public outcry was caused by sewage spills in the UK.
Moreover, climate change will lead to precipitation, and those, in turn, to flash floods and sewage overload, the agency notes.
In 2024, the European Union (EU) updated the rules for wastewater treatment, which had not changed for 30 years before. However, many countries ignored the updates in the legislation, the agency reports.
Earlier, on August 6, during the Olympics in Paris, triathlete from Kazakhstan Ekaterina Shabalina said that she had to resort to antimicrobial treatment after swimming in the Seine.
Before that, on August 4, it became known that Belgian triathlete Claire Michel was hospitalized in Paris with E. coli after swimming in the Seine at the Olympic Games. After the incident, the team had to withdraw from the relay.
At the same time, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said that for many years the Seine River in Paris was considered a sewer, but professionals cleared it for open water competitions as part of the Olympics. Previously, she even swam to prove that the water was suitable for the Games.
