Background and acknowledgements

In 1986, as a result of a fire at the Sandoz pharmaceutical facility near Basel, Switzerland, 30 tons of toxic chemicals were released into the Rhine River owing to the lack of firefighting water retention. This caused extensive transboundary water pollution, suspended drinking water supplies, devastated fish stocks in Switzerland, France and Germany and had effects reaching as far as the Netherlands (approximately 700 kilometres downstream).

Sustainable Development Goals:

Good Health and Well-Being

Clean Water and Sanitation

Sustainable Cities and Communities