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Un luogo famoso della capitale francese
Cosa c'era nel canale Saint-Martin che a Parigi stanno ripulendo
Il Canale Saint-Martin è un luogo famoso, a Parigi. È pure antico, visto che è stato completato nel 1825 sotto il regno di Napoleone I, per garantire alla città un rifornimento idrico stabile. Da quindici anni, però, non è stato pulito e ora i parigini si sono rimboccati le maniche e hanno cominciato l’operazione di drenaggio. Delle buone pulizie di casa, insomma, utili anche alle circa cinque tonnellate di pesci che vivono nel canale e che si spera di riuscire a salvare, portandoli in acque più profonde – e pulite. Si pensa che il canale dovrà restare senz’acqua per tre mesi.
An abandoned mud-covered Velib self-service public bicycle appears after the draining of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, France, January 5, 2016. Authorities start a three-month cleanup operation of the canal St-Martin, in north-eastern Paris, in an attempt to refurbish its locks and remove rubbish. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
A municipality worker relocates a fish from a section of the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
A seagull stands next to a bicycle at the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
A bicycle and a tire laye on the ground of the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
A municipality worker passes by a scooter and a bicycle at the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Municipality workers wade through the canal Saint-Martin to relocate fishes from a section as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
A municipality worker walks in the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance and cleaning in Paris, Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. Paris' Canal Saint-Martin, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Municipality workers relocate fishes from a section of the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
A "velib" bicycle (bike-sharing) layes on the ground of the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Municipality take the weight of fishes from the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
A scooter layes on the ground of the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
A municipality worker relocates fishes from a section of the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Municipality workers wade through the canal Saint-Martin to relocate fishes from a section as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Bicycles laye on the ground of the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
View of a section of the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance and cleaning in Paris, Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. Paris' Canal Saint-Martin, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Municipality workers wade through the canal Saint-Martin next to a bicycle to relocate fishes from a section as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Municipality workers wade through the canal Saint-Martin with a bucket full of fishes to relocate fishes from a section as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Onlookers watch out on bridges over the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. Paris' Canal Saint-Martin is being drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Municipal workers guide a lock plate at the Canal-Saint Martin, as it is drained for maintenance in Paris, Monday, Jan 4, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then - when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety - into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Municipality workers remove a bicycle from the canal Saint-Martin as the canal is drained for maintenance and cleaning in Paris, Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. Paris' Canal Saint-Martin, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Municipality workers wade through the canal Saint-Martin to relocate fishes from a section as the canal is drained for maintenance in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Paris Canal Saint-Martin will be drained this week for cleaning, first into a puddle then when the final underwater creatures have been moved to safety into a dry ditch. The canal, popular with Parisians and visitors alike for its arched bridges, locks and trendy surrounding neighborhood, will be emptied for the first time in 14 years. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
L’operazione di drenaggio. Il Saint-Martin contiene circa 90 mila metri cubi di acqua e le operazioni di pulizia costeranno alla città 9,5 milioni di euro. Inizialmente si è drenata l’acqua, lasciando 50 cm sul fondo del canale. Questo ha permesso agli operatori di recuperare le trote, le carpe e gli altri pesci che sono finiti nelle acque sbagliate e di portarli via. Giovedì 6 gennaio, invece, il canale è stato completamente drenato. L’assessore per la cura dell’ambiente, Celia Blauel, ha pregato i parigini di rispettare il Saint-Martin, quando i lavori saranno finiti: «Se tutti evitassero di gettare qualsiasi cosa nell’acqua, potremmo riuscire a nuotare nel canale entro pochi anni, come fanno in molte altre città europee», ha dichiarato.
È stato trovato di tutto. Gli operatori non hanno scovato soltanto pesci, però. Anzi. Sotto le acque del Saint-Martin si nascondeva un magazzino di bottiglie e una rimessa di bici e motociclette. Il canale si trova nel centro del 10° arrondissement, uno dei più esclusivi della capitale, ma negli ultimi anni la zona ha sviluppato una certa reputazione per la vita notturna e ha attirato un gran numero di turisti e di parigini. I residenti non sono molto contenti e hanno perfino lanciato una campagna contro gli episodi di vandalismo. Non sorprende che biasimino la nuova popolarità dell’area, additandola come responsabile della quantità di oggetti ritrovati nel Saint-Martin. L’ultima volta che il canale è stato drenato, nel 2001, sono state trovate 40 tonnellate di pattumiera, tra cui bici, moto, monete d’oro, carrozzine, due bombe della prima guerra mondiale e un’auto. Questa volta si è aggiunta pure una pistola, che è stata debitamente consegnata alla polizia.
