ABSTRACT
The Rhine Basin has a population of approximately forty million and includes the majority of the inhabitants of Switzerland and the Netherlands, and about one-third of the population of the Federal Republic of Germany. The high concentration of population and industry results in using the river as an outlet for much of the waste produced in the Rhine basin. Historically, the Rhine has been used for fishing and for navigation. Some of the Rhine navigational regulations include pollution control provisions. Thermal pollution is the warming of the waters of the Rhine and results from the use of the water in cooling systems. The investigations and studies done by the International Commission revealed that the major part of the pollution of the Rhine originated from large cities and from chemical industrial plants and paper mills.
