Overview

• Meerbusch’s emergency ordinance took effect Tuesday, joining Düsseldorf and Neuss in restricting river contact to ankle depth along their Rhine banks.
• Municipal rules define bathing as staying in water deeper than knuckle‑deep, make violations administrative offences punishable by up to €1,000, and bring increased Ordnungsamt patrols.
• Authorities cite ten Rhine deaths in NRW through July, while Meerbusch’s fire service logged 25 ‘Person im Rhein’ alerts from January 2024 to July 2025.
• Police, the Wasserwacht and DLRG rolled out staged shock images on social media to warn that currents, whirlpools, suction and ship traffic make the river deadly.
• Cologne is preparing a proposal for a September 4 council vote and Krefeld is reviewing a ban, while Düsseldorf had Google relabel ‘Paradiesstrand’ as ‘Rheinstrand’ to counter a misleading bathing image.