A crowd has gathered on a gloomy day to see what is going on at the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris. Everyone was unable to take their eyes away from the scene unfolding in front of them. They all wanted to see the muddy waters recede as the authorities drained the river. What had been lurking in the canal’s waters all this time? They discovered things about the canal after two centuries that they had not expected in the least. What did they find down there, exactly?
After Draining A 200-Year-Old Parisian Canal, They Were Shocked By What The Water Revealed
It Was Time To Drain It
When the muddy waters receded, the authorities took a look at them. Of course, it’s not every day that you discover the secrets of the ocean’s depths.
So when the building’s floor became visible, residents learned of a new chapter in the city’s past. Let’s just say none of them intended to come across what they did.
An Important Source Of Water
The canal is 4.5 kilometers in length. It was completed after Napoleon Bonaparte I gave his approval to the project.
This canal was designed primarily to provide clean drinking water to Paris’s 550,000 residents. However, he was well aware that the population would almost certainly continue to increase in the future.
A Lot More To It Than That
Furthermore, he hoped that having access to clean water would help control the city’s health issues.
Back then, there were several cases of cholera and dysentery. The Canal Saint-Martin encircles the city for nearly three miles. It also delivered food and construction materials to Parisians all over the city at the time.
Its Fascinating History
Two canals were constructed for the same intention in the decades that followed.
4 meters wide and 108 kilometers long. It ran from Port-Aux-Perches to the Bassin de la Villette, where it joined the Canal Saint-Martin. It’s best if you remember that they’re just a few hundred years old.
How Much It Cost Them
The enormous task of draining the canal began. It will take three months to extract approximately 3 million cubic feet of water.
Although the city had to spend more than $10 million on this, it was necessary.
People Threw Garbage Into The Water
Various everyday artifacts found their way into the water’s depths. Among other stuff, there were bicycles.
They turned out to be from the city’s Vélib car-sharing scheme. Around 14,500 bikes were added to the city’s streets as part of the program in 2007. Regrettably, they ended up in odd locations.
The Most Bizarre Findings
More objects surfaced as the drainage process progressed.
It was important to recover it because it had obviously contributed to the canal’s murkiness. Its presence there was thought to be amusing. This was not, however, the only surprising find down there. They also discovered larger artifacts at the bottom.
Finally, at the bottom of the canal, there were mopeds, motorcycles, and wheelie bins! There was a bathroom down there as well.
Paris Is Filthy
“That’s Paris for you,” an onlooker called Bernard said. “It’s filthy.” It seems to have gotten worse in recent years. “I despair.
He was also present when the well was first drained. “The last time, I don’t remember seeing so much rubbish in it,” he shared. The youth are using it as a dustbin.
Save The Fish
They managed to drain the water from the Canal Saint-Martin until only 20 inches of water remained. They had to get the fish to safety first.
The cleaning crew spent three days in the water catching carp, salmon, and bream. They captured the animals and relocated them to a separate section of the river.
It Was An Expensive Process
The reality is that the canal region is known as prime real estate.
The Parisians had to pay a high price for it. Only real estate assets located in the arrondissement command prices as high as $9,000. They had no idea these things were lying so close to their houses, we’re sure. No one would have realized how serious the issue was if the waterway had not been drained.
