The cement manufacturer Lafarge finds itself under fire from critics.
According to information from Europe 1, one of its concrete plants - located in the Bercy district of Paris, on the banks of the Seine - deliberately discharges cement particles and plastic fiber rods directly into the river.
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On a video by a journalist from Europe 1, we can see water escaping from a Lafarge tank before flowing into the Seine.
“
Clearly, it's voluntary.
In these tanks, all the water and the remains of concrete made during the day are returned to the trucks at the end of the day.
Then, the company is supposed to treat its waste
”, explains to our colleagues Jacques Lemoine, development agent of the Interdepartmental Federation for fishing and the protection of the aquatic environment.
It was a team from his federation that made this discovery.
Lafarge denounces "malice"
According to Europe 1, the French biodiversity office - alerted to the situation - lodged a complaint.
According to our colleagues, following findings made by the police, the case was sent to justice for possible prosecution.
Contacted by Le Figaro, the French biodiversity office was, for the time being, unable to confirm this complaint to us.
Contacted by Le Figaro, the Lafarge company explains to us “
understand the emotion aroused by this incident at the Bercy concrete plant, which was caused by malicious acts of which we are victims
”.
“
The flow concerns water in the final recycling stage.
As soon as we learned of it, the flow was stopped by immediate repair work
, ”explains the company.
Before continuing: “
The water treatment of the Bercy site is carried out in a closed circuit, causing no discharge into the Seine.
It works by successive settling in basins located between the point of discharge of the trucks and the leak detected during the incident
”.
According to the company, “
this is an exceptional accident caused by a malicious act, for which we are filing a complaint today
” and “
it is therefore wrong to accuse our company of rejections which could be voluntary
”.
Lafarge concludes: “
We repeat that the normal operation of the plant does not cause any flow into the Seine.
The Bercy concrete plant, like all the group's other equipment in France, strictly meets all environmental requirements.
The control actions on our power plants will however be further strengthened.
Concerning the Bercy site, we will offer the public authorities an additional isolation solution for the water recycling circuit
”.
“
I am amazed to discover this slow pollution which is poisoning our river.
Explanations are needed from the site manager and a complaint will be filed,
”reacted this Tuesday morning on Twitter Emmanuel Grégoire, first deputy mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo.
