When visiting Europe, especially Western Europe, tourists are usually amazed by the quality of clear river or lake water. Whereas in the past, the situation was not so where there had been very severe pollution, such as on the Rhine River.
Aare, Switzerland's longest river that made news for being the site of the disappearance of Ridwan Kamil's son, used to be a polluted slum in the 1960s. The great effort of the government and citizens by building a waste disposal system has transformed Aare to become as clear as it is now.
Not only in Switzerland, the rivers in Germany were not clean. Germany's longest river, the Rhine, is renowned for its beauty, dotted with castles and green countryside. But back then, the Rhine was a slum river for a long time.
As quoted by us from Deutsche Welle, Monday (30/5/2022) the flow of the Rhine starts from Switzerland, namely the Aare River. After becoming the Rhine River, it passes through the city of Basel, then flows into Germany and the Netherlands, and then ends in the north sea.
Well in 1986, there was a fire in the storage room of the pharmaceutical company Sandoz in Basel, Switzerland. As a result, large quantities of pesticides flowed into the Rhine, killing large numbers of fish and micro-organisms. The river was also dubbed the biggest dirty ditch.
Fritzh Holwartz, head of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine, said that the disaster had sparked awareness about the health of the Rhine and how these waters could recover.
"We can say that the Sandoz incident was basically the worst-case scenario at that time so that it contributed to the emergence of water protection as an important issue in politics," he said.
A lot of effort was then put into making the Rhine clear again and allowing people to swim in peace. The key is in citizen pressure for politicians to take swift action.
Since then, investments in water purification centers have been intensified and have cost up to USD 75 billion. The local government annually provides 1 billion Euros for the water purification of the Rhine.
Disaster incidents were suppressed because companies based near the Rhine were more careful. This pro-active action ensures that the Rhine remains clear.
"We together with those who live near the riverbanks, want to make people can live and enjoy this river. We want to make this river a part of our lives and our children," he added.