Rome Mayor Promises Swimmable Tiber River by 2028

Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, has announced an ambitious plan to make the Tiber River swimmable by 2028. This declaration, made during a visit to the Osaka Expo, has sparked a mixture of enthusiasm and skepticism, given the river’s longstanding issues with pollution and health hazards. Gualtieri stated that a working group is already in place, bringing together national and regional authorities alongside scientists to strategize the river’s clean-up.

“We are pleased to have already established that this is an entirely achievable goal,” Gualtieri declared. He emphasized that within five years, it will be possible to swim in the Tiber, a river that has been off-limits for swimming since the 1960s, with fines for violators reaching hundreds of euros. The only exception is a symbolic dive on New Year’s Day from a city bridge.

Gualtieri compared the Tiber’s revitalization to the €1.4 billion project in Paris, where swimmers returned to the Seine for the first time in a century during the 2024 Olympics. He noted that parts of the Tiber already meet water-quality standards on certain days. However, the river still suffers from heavy pollution, particularly from the Aniene River and various waste discharges, which create unsafe conditions for swimming.

Health experts have expressed significant concern regarding the Tiber’s current state. The Italian Society of Environmental Medicine cautioned that existing river conditions pose “extremely high” health risks. The presence of E. coli, known to cause gastrointestinal issues, and leptospirosis, a disease transmitted by rats that can lead to severe symptoms, underscores the urgency of the situation. Additionally, skin and eye infections are potential dangers for anyone exposed to the river water.

In response to these challenges, Rome’s environment councillor, Sabrina Alfonsi, indicated that the inter-institutional working group will outline the necessary regulatory, technical, and environmental steps to make the Tiber safe for swimming. This includes the implementation of new purification infrastructure and enhanced monitoring of waste discharges. The committee’s first meeting is slated for October 2023, as reported by the Nova news agency.

The city has already made improvements to the riverbank using Jubilee funds, creating new public spaces, walkways, and greenery along five sections of the Lungotevere embankment. A previous initiative known as “Tiberis” aimed to market the riverside as a beach destination, yet swimming remained prohibited.

In Paris, despite extensive investments aimed at reducing pollution, bacterial contamination still led to the postponement of Olympic events on the Seine. Some athletes even took medication to prevent illness related to contaminated water. Gualtieri remains optimistic that Rome’s efforts will succeed where others have struggled, asserting, “Paris started with higher pollution levels.” He added that authorities have already pinpointed “three to four necessary actions” to ensure safe bathing conditions, even downstream from the Aniene.

As Rome embarks on this significant environmental initiative, the eyes of the world will be watching to see if the Tiber can truly transform into a safe recreational space within the proposed timeline.