The 2024 Paris Olympics have just concluded. Chinese athletes, with an outstanding record of 40 gold, 27 silver and 24 bronze medals, have not only attracted global attention but also profoundly interpreted the Olympic spirit of "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together". On this field full of passion and dreams, every drop of sweat shines with the light of unremitting pursuit, inspiring people around the world to move forward together. However, when our attention shifts from the glorious podium to the veins of the city – the Seine River – a discussion about river water pollution and environmental protection has continued from the pre-Games preparation to the present.
As the "mother river" of Paris, the Seine not only carries the city's history and culture but also serves as the competition venue for two events at this Olympic Games: the triathlon and open water swimming. Historically, due to industrial sewage, domestic wastewater and garbage discharge, the Seine has suffered severe pollution, and swimming in it was even banned by the government in 1923. The French government has been striving to improve the water quality of the Seine in recent years, investing 1.4 billion euros (approximately 11 billion RMB) in the Paris region over the past decade. It has taken a series of measures, such as building new rainwater reservoirs, upgrading sewage and rainwater treatment facilities, strengthening the removal of floating garbage and water quality monitoring, with the aim of improving the Seine's water quality before the Olympics.
Image source: Internet
But has the water quality really improved?
After the end of the individual triathlon on July 31, the broadcast footage captured a Canadian athlete vomiting on the shore after completing the swimming leg, and another Belgian athlete described seeing and feeling "things that shouldn't be there".
Image source: Internet
At this critical moment, French explorer Max Von Croft embarked on a field exploration of the Seine's water quality with the Chasing M200 PRO underwater drone. In the Saint-Martin Island section of the Seine, the river water is green, with foam and grease floating on the surface; the underwater images taken by the Chasing M200 PRO are even more shocking: due to severe water pollution, visibility is less than 20 centimeters, making it almost impossible to see the riverbed clearly. On August 4, the official test results were released, showing that the E. coli content at four sampling points ranged from 727 to 1553 CFU/ml, still 50% higher than the threshold of 1000. Later, Max went to the Arsenal basin upstream and filmed again with the Chasing M200 PRO. In this water area, the water quality is relatively clear after treatment, visibility has significantly improved, underwater garbage has begun to decrease, the water quality has gradually become clear, aquatic plants have regrown, and it is even possible to capture vivid scenes of fish schools swimming freely. Such contrasting images not only reveal the severity of the Seine's water quality problems but also point out the direction for governance work.
The observation of the Seine by the Chasing M200 PRO is just the tip of the iceberg of Chasing Innovation's extensive application in the environmental protection field. As the culmination of underwater technology, the Chasing P series industrial ROVs have the advantages of high efficiency, low cost and low risk, and are gradually becoming indispensable tools in fields such as water quality monitoring, marine exploration and ecological restoration. Equipped with water quality sampling bottles and multi-parameter water quality sensors, they can go deep into the underwater world that is difficult for humans to reach, conduct accurate sample collection and analysis, provide scientific basis for environmental protection decisions, greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of environmental protection work, and contribute an important force to safeguarding the green barrier of the earth's waters.
Taking the Paris Olympics as an opportunity, from the perspective of the Chasing M200 PRO, we have seen the desire and pursuit of the Paris municipal government and citizens for clean water sources, as well as their firm determination and practical actions in the field of environmental protection. This is not only the inheritance and development of the Olympic spirit but also the practice of the commitment to the sustainable development of the earth. The organizing committee's choice of the Seine as the competition venue is not only a recognition of the host country's governance achievements but also a transmission of the global environmental protection concept.
More importantly, the application of the Chasing M200 PRO demonstrates the perfect integration of technology and environmental protection. Through its high-definition lens images, efficient data transmission and sample collection, it provides a scientific basis for water quality improvement work and greatly enhances the accuracy and efficiency of environmental protection work. This model of technology empowering environmental protection not only brings new opportunities for the governance of the Seine but also provides reference experience and ideas for global water environmental protection.
We firmly believe that the successful holding of the Paris Olympics will arouse widespread global attention and profound reflection on water environmental protection. In the future, let us join hands and take more firm steps to promote the deep integration of technology and environmental protection, and jointly safeguard the blue planet on which we live. While pursuing faster, higher and stronger, we must keep in mind the Olympic spirit of "Together" and make unremitting efforts to achieve the sustainable development of the earth and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
