Campaign ManagerWhile rummaging through our attic or basements, we often end up finding a lot of interesting and surprising stuff we may have forgotten about. It is one of the blessings that comes with cleaning the house when such incident occur. So can you just imagine the kind of items that a 200 year old canal would contain if it got drained? Just buckle yourselves up because this strange canal has a lot of mysterious items it had been hiding all these years, surprising everyone. On one January day in Paris, a crowd gathered around the Canal Saint-Martin. As they noticed dingy brown depths of the canal, they were about to unfold a lot of secrets that were hidden in it. The water of the canal had drained out, so the bottom layer was completely visible, and it revealed some astonishing facts about the canal.
Intriguing History Of The Canal
So most of you may be wondering how this canal came into being in the first place right? Well. we did a little digging and so we could get the history of this canal that has been a crucial part of this Parisian street’s identity. This incredible canal was actually built in the year 1802 after the famous French leader Napoleon I passed the order for its construction. The total population of the city of Paris during this period was around 550,000 and it was increasing in an alarming amount. So Napoleon felt that the canal would be of huge help in bringing fresh water to this town which and would ultimately rid the town of diseases that were in full flourish during those days.
The Cleaning Process
The historical Canal Saint-Martin is an incredible 200 years old now. How many people can say they have lived through 200 years? This canal has seen so much and has made drastic changes to the living conditions of the residents in Paris. But as we all know, there have been various environmental factors had affected its water quality. The world is a filthy place and most public properties always end up ill-fated and this canal had become one of them. So what could the local people do to save the canal’s degrading state of being. To clean it, the concerned officials would always empty it on a 10 to 15 year time frame. They would then expunge the detritus from its basement. However, in this process, the officials made some incredibly shocking discoveries that the canal held.
Stunning Discovery
Since this canal is kept for the public’s easy access, had fallen victim to the filthy habits of the people who visit it. It has collected so much garbage that it was now time once again, for the residents to join forces and cleanse it. The Canal Saint-Martin was last drained back in the years 2001. So after doing all the filthy work, the authorities were able to gather almost 40 tons of garbage from the canal. There were so many incredible finds that these cleaners found out. They even found a car, some washing machines, gold coins and two 75mm shells which had its root connected to World War I. This was indeed no joke and the fact that the canal kept all these inside its water, all the while, made it quite shocking.
The Youth’s To Blame?
As we all know, Paris is a romantic city and is also one of the most lively cities in the world. There are thousands of tourists roaming its streets everyday and also loads of youngsters who use the location of this canal as a place to hang out. It has been reported that the nearby areas around the Canal Saint-Martin became prominent for its nightlife. So, there is bound to be some unbelievable behavior going on in and around the canal’s location. Moreover, the location was mostly favored by the young and rich brats that live in Paris. Hence, this canal was destined to have some very nasty things happen to it. But there was a concern that these people would bring even more trash to the canal from the authorities side.
Garbage Galore in the canal
As you all could have imagined, the canal was indeed truly filthy at the bottom. It was literally garbage galore at the bottom of the canal. The canal had so much hidden stuff inside and it was a shock to everyone present there. There were different items which were found such as glass bottles, shopping bags, and traffic cones. This stuff bewildered the locals that how such objects could have ended up in the water body. Since it had not been cleaned up for a long while, the canal had become a garbage can for the people that were strolling around the premises. The last time it was cleaned up was way back in 2001, so there were indeed a lot of stuff that one would expect finding and some that you could have never imagined would be there.
What Will Happen Next?
The fate of the canal is now dependent on the locals and the visitor that come to this site. The pollution will hopefully reduce as the canal already holds such a sentimental value to so many Parisians. It has seen the ups and downs of the city so, it is the duty of the residents to take proper care of the canal. Let us hope that everyone cooperates and maintains the canal as best as they can.