Big
Jump
Background
From
the oblivion...
The
20th century forgot its rivers: they served as rubbish dumps,
were polluted and dangerous and their access were often forbidden.
They were used only for navigation and for the production of
power. The numerous beaches and swimming spots disappeared;
people turned
their back to the rivers and forgot their responsibility.
Fortunately, huge efforts have been made since the 90ies for
the cleaning and the restoration of rivers. The Rhine, Elbe
and Loire rivers now possessed numerous spots reaching the bath
water quality standards. They become
exemplary for the management of the other European river basins.
...to the revival of the way
of living with rivers
Responsible
citizens have understood : to respect, to live with, to restore,
to give back its original space to the river, to improve the
water's quality everywhere, are the new motto. This growing
awareness is expressed
through the revival of the activities on and along the rivers:
cycle tracks, discovery canoe tours, sporty fishing, even swimmers
have
been seen… There are the precursor signs of a new age which
are also seen in big urban visionary projects as in Vienna,
Berlin, Munich, Berlin, Paris, Lyon and others.
People’s
return to the rivers
“Big
Jump” aims at reconciliating people with their rivers.
This project will induce the citizens to reconquer their rivers
and lakes and will revive
the powerful links that used to bind people to these spaces.
Reconciliation is an essential element to gain
people's support to the big European restoration effort for
rivers and wetlands, this huge project being expressed in the
European Water Framework Directive .
"What
is the Big Jump ?"
