ICPR – International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine

Rhine Action Programme (1987)

The „Rhine Action Programme“ introduced by the ICPR in 1987 as a comprehensive restoration programme was the most important predecessor of “Rhine 2040” and “Rhine 2020”. A year earlier, the Rhine had been poisoned by a catastrophic chemical spill, killing fish and small animals over a distance of more than 400 km from Basel to Koblenz and severely polluting the Rhine water as far as the Netherlands.

Rhine Action Programme (1987)

In 2000, the "Rhine Action Programme" came to an end. The balance shows that, largely, it achieved or surpassed its objectives:

  • between 1985 and 2000, the point source inputs of most of the pollutants classified as priority substances sank by 70 to 100 per cent. The degree to which municipalities and industries were connected to wastewater treatment plants increased from 85 to 95 %.
  • Accidents with substances noxious for water were considerably reduced, as plants along the Rhine were better prepared to meet accidents.

Balance Rhine Action Programme (2000)  (not available in English)