Overview

• Cologne’s city council passed a bathing ban that exempts water contact up to ankle height, with fines of up to €1,000 once the rule is officially published.
• Duisburg enacted an urgency ordinance from Mayor Sören Link that takes effect on Saturday, September 6, extending prohibitions to river stretches not covered by a 1972 federal waterways rule.
• Duisburg aligns its definition with neighboring cities, counting anyone in water deeper than ankle height as bathing, and sets penalties up to €1,000.
• Düsseldorf, Neuss, Meerbusch, Krefeld and Dormagen already enforce similar bans on the Rhine with the same ankle‑depth threshold and fine levels.
• Authorities cite DLRG data reporting ten Rhine deaths in NRW by end of July and warn of hazards from currents, whirlpools and heavy ship traffic; exceptions include brief boarding or launching of boats at designated points.