Rome wants to imitate Paris and allow swimming in the Tiber River

Rome, September 11 - Rome wants to make it possible to swim in its main river, the Tiber, in the future. According to agencies, the mayor of the Italian capital, Roberto Gualtieri, said this today, and he would like to achieve this goal within five years. Paris has already taken a similar path, which also allowed swimming in the Seine this year.

Gualtieri said that the Rome city hall is working with the central government and the Lazio region to improve the condition of the river. "We will be able to swim in the Tiber in five years," said Gualtieri, adding that this is a realistic goal. According to him, the cost of treating the Tiber should be lower than in the case of the Seine, because the river in Rome is in better condition than the Seine before the treatment for swimming. The Reuters agency reports that the French authorities have spent 1.4 billion euros (35 billion crowns) to improve the cleanliness of the Seine to such an extent that it is possible to swim in it.

According to Gualtieri, it may already be possible to swim in some parts of the Tiber in Rome during certain periods. However, for this to be possible along the entire course of the river in the capital, modifications are needed to reduce pollution. However, many doctors interviewed by Italian media are skeptical that this will be possible.

Swimming in the Tiber is currently prohibited, with the only exception tolerated by the authorities in the form of the traditional New Year's jump into the river at the Cavour Bridge in the city center. Some photos show that Romans were swimming in the river as early as the 1950s, with the first official bans coming into effect in the 1960s.

Czech press agency

WT.24