BAKU. Azerbaijan. August 19. Wastewater has become a new political issue in Europe as climate change is likely to lead to flash floods and overloaded sewer systems, TurkicWorldreports.
This concerns not only the pollution of the Seine and Thames.Many European cities, such as Ghent in Belgium, have centuries-old infrastructure that has not even been cleared of large quantities of household and industrial waste. It is noted that the sewage spills in Great Britain caused a strong public outcry.
Moreover, climate change will lead to precipitation, which in turn will lead to flash floods and sewer overloads, the agency notes.
In 2024, the European Union (EU) updated its wastewater treatment rules, which had not changed for 30 years. However, many countries ignored the legislative updates, the agency reports.
Earlier, on August 6, during the Olympics in Paris, triathlete from Kazakhstan Ekaterina Shabalina said that she had to resort to treatment with an antimicrobial drug after swimming in the Seine.
Earlier, 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. Following the incident, the team had to withdraw from the relay.
At the same time, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said that for many years the Seine River in Paris was considered a sewer, but professionals cleaned it for the Olympic open water competitions. She had even swum in the past to prove that the water was fit for the Games.
