Olympics-Giant reservoir ready for service as Paris 2024 Games loom

View of the Austerlitz wastewater and rainwater storage basin, which is intended, among other things, to make the Seine swimmable during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, France May 2, 2024. Stephane De Sakutin/Pool via REUTERS

PARIS (Reuters) - Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo on Thursday inaugurated a colossal storage basin that will help reduce the risks of pollution in the Seine as the Olympics approach and make the river suitable for bathing.

The primary goal is to have the Seine batheable by 2025, with the Paris Games boosting that aim, even though some sporting events were cancelled last summer as health standards were not met after rare heavy rains and a sewer problem.