Mererid ac Afon Rhein Yr Afon

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-The Rhine.

-The vast river

-which feeds the heart...

-..of western Europe.

-Over 3,000 metres above sea level...

-..this is the Rheinwaldhorn,

-the river's frozen source.

-There's change afoot.

-The source is melting.

-Over the years,

-the river's journey from the Alps...

-..to its estuary in Holland...

-..has also changed.

-This change has mirrored

-the lives of the people...

-..who live along its banks.

-Over many centuries, the river has

-grown from an important pathway...

-..to a crucial highway that sustains

-and drives Europe's economy.

-An important link on the one hand,

-it's also a boundary...

-..between land and people.

-It has seen many cultures

-and heard countless languages.

-It has also witnessed

-fierce battles...

-..and mourned death.

-Today, peace dominates the landscape

-- on the surface at least.

-Beneath the surface

-lies another story.

-The Rhine is facing a new threat.

-It's a threat

-driven by climatic changes...

-..not political ambition.

-With the river under threat,

-the communities face the same fate.

-Can the people

-who share the river...

-..unite, to preserve a way of life.

-The Netherlands,

-Germany, Switzerland, France...

-..Austria and Liechtenstein.

-The Rhine flows

-through these six countries.

-Germany lays claim

-to the majority of the river.

-The Rhine has played

-an important part...

-..in the process of creating

-and defining the German nation.

-I'm about to follow the river but

-not from the source to the estuary.

-I'll be climbing from the estuary...

-..passing castles,

-factories and towns...

-..and some stunningly

-beautiful landscapes.

-The journey is packed

-with history and folklore.

-Like the best fairy tales...

-..the history is a combination

-of good and evil.

-From the racism of the Nazis...

-..this river has witnessed

-some truly sinister acts.

-Those days are now but a memory...

-..but the river

-has become a new battlefield.

-Today's battle is against the clock.

-It's a battle to save

-the river itself.

-There are two sources to the Rhine,

-up in the Swiss Alps.

-From the Hinterrhein glacier...

-..it flows into the Vorderrhein.

-Then it flows between the Alsace

-vineyards and the Black Forest...

-..through a dramatic ravine and

-the industrial heart of Germany...

-..before reaching the sea

-in Europe's largest port.

-Our journey begins in Rotterdam.

-Each year, over 300m tonnes of goods

-are transported through the port.

-This is where the Rhine

-enters the North Sea...

-..and these giant ships head

-for the four corners of the earth.

-Large and even larger

-is the norm in this place.

-It's hard to imagine a coracle

-floating among these huge ships...

-..the tankers and cargo ships which

-drag their goods around Europe.

-The Rhine is a huge motorway which

-is crucial to the European economy.

-All the transport

-that uses the river...

-..and the work undertaken to improve

-conditions create many problems.

-The river is a canal these days.

-The iron giants of the estuary

-are a threatening sight.

-So many are controlled

-by tiny computers.

-The docker's muscle power has been

-replaced by the click of a mouse.

-However, when things go wrong,

-a computer is of no use.

-People's courage is needed

-to save others.

-ALARM

-A busy port like Rotterdam

-is an extremely dangerous place.

-All the oil and chemicals here

-can ignite easily.

-When that happens,

-the response is immediate.

-Delays could cost

-thousands of lives.

-As an instructor and fireman, Alex

-Trueman knows better than most...

-..what can go wrong.

-You can take comfort in the fact

-that so much is already in place...

-..and many things can be prevented.

-But yes, if you consider

-all that could happen...

-..a lot can go wrong.

-In addition

-to extinguishing fires...

-..Alex trains others to do the work.

-Every company

-that works in the port...

-..must know

-how to respond in an emergency.

-It didn't take me long to realize

-that this isn't child's play.

-Chemicals stored here could poison

-the air as well as the water.

-As an instructor,

-Alex knows what's at stake.

-I think many people can see

-what's happening around them.

-They don't stop to consider

-the full implications.

-They don't really know

-what could go wrong.

-For me, it's a way of life.

-It's in my blood.

-It pulls me back all the time.

-My father works for the

-fire service, as does my brother.

-Yes indeed, it's in my blood.

-The people of Rotterdam

-may not realize the dangers...

-..that lurk in the harbour.

-Or they might choose

-not to consider it.

-Without the industry

-that's generated by the river...

-..there would be no work.

-Here, in Rotterdam...

-..the river has always

-driven the economy.

-It has also controlled the mindset

-and culture of the population.

-For thousands of years...

-..the banks of the Rhine

-have witnessed troubled times...

-..where man learned to live

-at the mercy of the water goddess.

-Sometimes, she would give.

-Other times, she would take away.

-Fishermen

-would talk of mystical women...

-..sprites and strange creatures...

-..as they tried to cope with

-the dangerous nature of the waters.

-Today, the fishermen's stories

-are part of the river's folklore.

-Man has tamed the dangerous waters

-that inspired the stories...

-..to ensure that the transport

-industry and the economy flourished.

-By intervening for the benefit

-of one industry...

-..another industry was threatened.

-Over the past few years, earning

-a living as a family of fishermen...

-..has been a challenge.

-One who faces that challenge

-is Wilkin Den Boer.

-Like his father

-and grandfather before him...

-..he specializes in eel fishing.

-The eels come from the Sargasso Sea,

-near Cuba.

-They reach this estuary

-and swim up stream...

-..until they're ready to lay eggs.

-Then,

-they swim back towards the ocean.

-Twenty years ago, a catch this size

-would have been impossible.

-There was so much industrial waste

-in the water.

-Pollution affected fish numbers.

-In the 1950s and 1960s...

-..we would catch very few fish.

-1986 was a very difficult year.

-A chemical factory exploded

-further up the river...

-..spewing its poison into the water.

-The river turned red

-and the fish were all killed.

-This disaster almost destroyed

-Wilkin's way of life.

-Even nowadays,

-only six fishermen work here.

-Since then, there has been a huge

-effort to improve the water quality.

-Over the past few years...

-..there's been an increase

-in the numbers of salmon.

-They'd all but disappeared

-due to pollution.

-More recently,

-we've caught hundreds every year.

-As the fish return to the Rhine...

-..Wilkin Den Boer hopes his sons

-will join the business...

-..and continue the family tradition.

-The journey continues for me.

-My journey will take me to

-the battlefield and into Germany.

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-Over the flat fields of Holland...

-..my journey along the Rhine

-continues towards Germany.

-About 90 miles from Rotterdam

-is the town of Arnhem.

-In Arnhem, there's

-a bridge over the Rhine...

-..which witnessed many battles

-during World War II.

-Since Roman times, the Rhine has

-been a border between countries.

-It's a border to be crossed.

-It's seen bows and arrows

-and spears.

-It's also heard the footsteps

-of soldiers and exploding bombs.

-As Hitler's armies pushed

-back and forth along the river...

-..people who lived along the Rhine

-came face to face with war.

-The Germans said

-we had to leave Arnhem.

-We spent nine months in Apeldoorn,

-about 16 miles north of Arnhem.

-Tanno Pieterse and his family

-had to move...

-..because the Allies' plan

-to end WWII had failed.

-In September 1944,

-the Germans were retreating.

-The war was almost over.

-Montgomery had a plan

-to end hostilities.

-It was an ambitious plan,

-a gamble in many ways.

-The Allies would land

-behind enemy lines...

-..and claim a number of bridges.

-One of those was the bridge

-in Arnhem.

-Because of flaws in the plan

-and a lack of resources...

-..the soldiers were forced to land

-over a period of three days.

-The element of surprise was lost.

-Like lambs to the slaughter,

-they approached the Rhine.

-The Germans were waiting for them.

-Hundreds of soldiers died.

-Others sheltered in local houses.

-Soon, houses were set alight.

-I went to the town with a friend...

-..to search for bread for the people

-whose houses had been burnt down.

-The Red Cross Commandant

-in Arnhem...

-..told us that what we were doing

-was dangerous.

-If the SS thought we were searching

-for food, they would shoot us.

-They had already shot a doctor and

-a nurse for helping a paratrooper.

-After ten days,

-the Allies surrendered.

-Despite all the bloodshed,

-the war continued for many months.

-Months later,

-when the war was over...

-..Tanno and his family

-returned home...

-..to a familiar way of life.

-For others, their home and way of

-life isn't defined by one location.

-The river itself is their home

-and not the land on either side.

-For centuries, these giant boats

-have moved in a procession...

-..up and down the Rhine.

-They are driven by the people

-who own them and their families.

-Both Herr Veldman and his wife had

-parents who lived on canal boats.

-They've been raised on the river.

-They have a house in Holland...

-..but this boat is their home.

-It's very comfortable.

-Bedrooms for the children and

-the teddies and all the mod cons.

-This is the kitchen. This is

-where we eat our lunch and supper.

-This is the oven and the electrical

-equipment such as the microwave.

-That's the freezer.

-This is the dining room and this is

-where we eat when we have visitors.

-The living room and my son, Stefan.

-This is where we relax.

-This is the television

-and this is my eldest son's bedroom.

-As we cross the border into Germany,

-it's easy to understand...

-..how the Rhine became central

-to the country's identity.

-This is the confluence of two rivers

-- the Rhine and the Ruhr.

-This is the door to the Rheinland

-or the Rhine district.

-This area has been a powerhouse

-for Germany's economy for years.

-The foundation of the local industry

-is coal and steel.

-This area was largely responsible

-for Germany's economic recovery...

-..after World War II.

-The Wirtschaftswunder.

-Some coal is still transported

-along the river...

-..but heavy industry here

-is on the wane.

-From the Rhondda to the Rhineland...

-..workers sympathize

-with people here.

-Since the 18th century,

-industry has defined the Rhineland.

-Even though the work was hard...

-..it gave people

-a sense of pride and identity.

-Scuba diving lessons could be held

-in the gasometer, apparently.

-They claim it's clean enough.

-In the old cooling tanks,

-water lilies grow.

-A memory, a memorial,

-a monument of the past.

-This is the chief industry today.

-They're not digging or producing.

-They're transporting loads

-from one place to the next.

-There's hardly any connection

-between the cargo and the people.

-Who knows what these metal boxes

-contain?

-Who cares as long

-as they reach their destination...

-..and that someone pays the bill?

-For the people who live

-on the river...

-..life has changed very little

-for centuries.

-As well as carrying a load,

-whatever that may be...

-..the boat people

-take their nationality with them.

-It's very easy for these people

-to travel from country to country.

-From here to Alsace,

-the river is a border.

-For years,

-the Germans and the French...

-..fought over the river, both trying

-to lay claim to the furthest bank.

-As I enter this town,

-I can feel Germany's history...

-..as a giant shadow

-on everyone and everything...

-..in the shape of this statue

-at the German end.

-The Deutsches Eck.

-As recently as 1929,

-Koblenz was called Confluentes...

-..when it belonged to France.

-This is the confluence of the

-German Rhine and the French Moselle.

-The dream of a united Germany

-was first realized...

-..when Napoleon III left

-following his defeat by Wilhelm I.

-Wilhelm was the first

-German Emperor.

-Wilhelm, along with his

-Prime Minister, Otto Bismarck...

-..were responsible for laying the

-foundations of the German identity.

-Deutsches Eck was an important

-symbol of German strength and unity.

-But there were changes afoot.

-Schein and sein.

-Two German words,

-separated by only one letter.

-The words mean

-appearance and reality.

-There is often a difference

-between both of these.

-This isn't the original monument.

-That was destroyed during WWII.

-Nor is this place a symbol

-of the ambitious dream...

-..to create a German Empire.

-The people insist that those

-are ideas of a bygone age.

-There has been fierce debate

-about the idea...

-..of rebuilding a memorial

-to Wilhelm at all.

-This new memorial was funded

-by a local couple.

-It was built in 1993...

-..as a tourist attraction...

-..rather than a symbol

-of cultural or political identity.

-Today, the Rhine flows

-through the heart of a new Europe.

-An Europe of countries

-rather than an Empire.

-People and goods can now travel

-easily from country to country.

-If the Rhine could speak, it would

-have tales of different people...

-..who have lived along the river

-at different times...

-..each one having made

-a contribution.

-Our Celtic forefathers stopped here

-on their way to Wales.

-They named the river Rhenus -

-the fierce river.

-Today, the river appears calmer.

-Beneath the surface, more problems

-are starting to emerge.

-The variety of creatures

-that live in the water...

-..are threatened

-by changes to their habitat.

-As more ships travel

-along European waterways...

-..they carry

-unauthorized and dangerous loads.

-These intruders

-are not welcomed here.

-This is the killer shrimp.

-Its natural habitat

-is the Black Sea.

-In the 1980s,

-it travelled up the Danube...

-..towards Germany.

-We believe this occurred

-because of the new link...

-..between countries in the east

-and countries in the west.

-The fall of the Iron Curtain

-and growth in the shipping industry.

-Soon, the killer shrimps

-appeared in the Rhine.

-They spread to all parts of

-northern Europe in no time at all.

-Dr Stefan Nehring is an expert

-and consultant in biology.

-He regularly checks

-the quality of the river...

-..and the creatures that live in it.

-Here.

-You can see this shrimp.

-It's a destructive prey.

-It reached here from the Black Sea.

-It was first seen here

-12 years ago.

-Nowadays, it's the one

-we see most regularly here.

-It loves eating the other shrimps.

-It's destroyed

-a number of native species...

-..and within a few years,

-it's overrun all the German rivers.

-Exotic creatures

-never become native.

-They are exotic creatures forever.

-They're a threat

-to local plants and creatures.

-They affect them.

-They either eat them or they

-assimilate and become very similar.

-That's when we start talking

-about McDonaldizing nature.

-Everything is the same.

-These changes affect the food chain.

-The killer shrimps eat the

-creatures that are eaten by birds.

-Their lives are changed forever...

-..and their food source disappears.

-Where will they go next?

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-South of Koblenz,

-we reach the Rhine gorge...

-..surrounded by vineyards

-and beautiful landscapes.

-These are the golden miles

-of tourists and pleasure boats.

-This is the romance of the Rhine.

-However, under the calm,

-deceptive surface...

-..the devil's depths can be found.

-Folklore is full of passion,

-love and tragedy.

-This is the basis of the

-famous legend of the Lorelei Rock.

-According to the tale...

-..a beautiful young girl

-throws herself on to the rocks...

-..when she hears

-of her lover's infidelity.

-From then on,

-she blinds sailors with her beauty.

-They lose sight of their task...

-..of steering carefully along

-a dangerous stretch of water...

-..and crash onto the rocks.

-The maiden of the Lorelei...

-..is closely associated

-with other fabled creatures...

-..in the folklore

-of many other countries.

-For centuries, tales have

-been used to explain tragedies...

-..that happen

-due to natural phenomena.

-This stretch of water was

-particularly dangerous for sailors.

-Rocks lurked beneath the surface...

-..and the strong currents

-could drag ships to deeper waters.

-The Lorelei isn't the only tale

-originating from this river.

-The river's maidens

-inspired Wagner...

-..as he composed The Ring Cycle...

-..and the story of Das Rheingold.

-The beautiful maidens

-of the Rhine...

-..soon became role models

-for young German women.

-Hitler knew how to present a simple

-message in an influential way.

-It was no coincidence

-that the girls in Nazi posters...

-..were very similar

-to the fabled maidens of the Rhine.

-However,

-not all Germans were tall and fit.

-Nor were they white with fair hair.

-This led to an event

-that shamed the German nation.

-The Persecution of the Jews.

-This is the oldest Jewish cemetery

-in Germany.

-All these graves have existed

-since before the Second World War...

-..a time when their communities

-were large and successful.

-This is the Heiliger Sand Cemetery

-in Worms.

-Some Jews live in the town today...

-..but they have moved here

-from Russia.

-The Jews

-who originally lived here...

-..were persecuted

-during the Nazi years.

-They were gathered together

-and executed.

-On 8th November, 1938...

-..the Nazis viciously attacked

-German Jews.

-Within a few hours, thousands of

-synagogues, businesses and homes...

-..had been damaged

-or completely destroyed.

-The word Kristallnacht

-has a lovely ring to it...

-..but its meaning

-is anything but enchanting.

-It means

-"night of the broken glass".

-It was a night when the windows

-of all Jewish homes were smashed.

-Jews were cast out of their houses

-onto a carpet of glass.

-It is also a symbolic name...

-..which represents the destruction

-of Germany's Jewish community.

-Following the fall

-of the Soviet Union...

-..the German Government

-invited Russian Jews to live here...

-..to try and re-establish

-the Jewish community.

-Even today, they still live

-in fear of persecution.

-Hasan Ozdemir is originally

-from Turkey.

-He now writes poetry

-in the German language.

-He moved here when he was 16 years

-old and has lived here ever since.

-He's one of the 1.7 million people

-who've moved from Turkey to Germany.

-Hasan lives in Ludwigshafen...

-..a few miles upstream from Worms.

-This has been a vibrant new town

-since the 19th century.

-To promote economic growth,

-Germany, or West Germany...

-..attracted workers

-from other countries in 1950.

-These workers

-were originally guests.

-Guest workers - gastarbeiter.

-The term gastarbeiter - guest

-workers - is something I detest.

-We shouldn't describe incomers

-this way any more.

-They are now part of this community.

-A new generation is growing here.

-They have a responsibility

-for this country.

-The traditional way of life

-is still important to many Turks.

-They tend to live apart.

-There's a new mosque

-in Ludwigshafen.

-After watching the congregation

-praying earnestly...

-..it was hard to imagine

-that I was in western Europe...

-..so close to Worms and the hotbed

-of Lutheran Protestant revolution.

-Even though the wives

-stayed behind here too...

-..it was a very eastern

-and alien occasion.

-In one of his poems...

-..Hasan writes

-that the river's flow is in him.

-He's disappointed

-that not everyone has moved on.

-They stick closely together.

-That does hold them back.

-The Rhine is a symbol of movement.

-Only stagnant water rots and stinks.

-Water that flows doesn't stink.

-That's what I say.

-It's an important image for me.

-Sometimes,

-a community can become rotten...

-..be that a Turkish community

-or German community.

-We have to move on -

-constantly onwards to the future.

-As a Welsh poet once said, "This is

-the river but this isn't the water."

-It's so true.

-Further upstream, a whole nation had

-to change its identity many times...

-..as France and Germany fought

-over their right to the Rhine.

-The river now flows

-past the Black Forest to the east...

-..and Alsace-Lorraine in the west.

-Between 1870 and 1919, this area,

-to a large extent...

-..was in German hands.

-Since WWI, it's been part of France.

-The French have made huge efforts

-to make it more French.

-People such as Jean Hugel

-have been caught in the middle.

-My grandfather was born

-a Frenchman in 1869.

-He became a Prussian in 1871.

-In 1918,

-he became a Frenchman again.

-The Nazis controlled Alsace

-with a fist of steel during the war.

-We were turned into Hitlers.

-Not on the inside -

-only on the outside.

-My grandfather died a Frenchman

-in 1950.

-Jean Hugel's family have kept

-vineyards in Riquewihr, Alsace...

-..for almost 400 years.

-Evidence of the past

-can be seen everywhere.

-Local place names

-are a mixture of German and French.

-In 1920, French was the only

-language of primary schools.

-Every other language was prohibited.

-If you were caught speaking

-a word or two of German...

-..you would be severely punished -

-even on the schoolyard.

-A familiar story?

-At school in the 1930s,

-I remember it clearly...

-..a long time ago...

-..the situation in Wales

-and Brittany was very similar.

-Now, it's very different.

-Primary schools are bilingual...

-..and there's no

-language discrimination any more.

-Like the language...

-..Jean Hugel's business

-has overcome all obstacles...

-..over the past 400 years.

-His business relies on the river.

-The success of communities

-along the Rhine...

-..and the future of the river itself

-flow hand in hand.

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-The Rhine and its riverbanks

-overflow with history, folklore...

-..and people

-who speak different languages...

-..who live side by side

-with each other's cultures.

-Like the rest of us,

-they rely on the river...

-..to transport goods

-in and out of Europe.

-Leaving Germany and France behind...

-..my journey

-to the river's source...

-..takes me to the border

-with Switzerland...

-..a country which is landlocked

-on all sides.

-The Rhine is crucial

-for the country's economic success.

-We import many goods

-from Switzerland...

-..including medicines and chocolate.

-Basel is a beautiful,

-sophisticated town.

-Residents enjoy

-a comfortable lifestyle...

-..thanks to the wealth

-of its industries.

-Special chemicals

-for the pharmaceutical world...

-..is the town's main source

-of income.

-Goods such as araldite, DDT and LSD.

-Useful but deadly goods.

-In the 1980s...

-..poisonous sewage leaked

-into the Rhine until it bled.

-The water turned red.

-Frau Irene Wigger

-remembers the night clearly.

-I remember the incident.

-It happened in the middle of

-the night when we heard the siren.

-We were warned to close the windows.

-There was a strange smell outside...

-..a smell of rotten eggs.

-This was the beginning of a period

-of pollution which lasted for years.

-The water and air quality

-gradually improved.

-Over half a million fish

-were killed.

-Some species disappeared for ever.

-The incident is still a sensitive

-matter for the people of Basel.

-Scientists keep a constant check

-on the water quality of the Rhine.

-This is the work carried out here.

-Water is tested for its purity.

-Being able to claim that

-it's fit to drink when boiled...

-..despite containing the sewage

-of thousands of people...

-..is a remarkable success.

-According to the authorities,

-the river is clean once more.

-Vigilance remains the key.

-Some people have created projects...

-..which contribute

-to keeping the environment pure...

-..and slowing global warming.

-The dream

-of the 2000 Watt Society...

-..is to reduce

-the amount of energy used.

-They're trying to turn

-the clock back to the 1960s...

-..when we were using

-half the power we're using today.

-The idea came

-from five local people.

-We love the old factories.

-We offered to buy the factories

-and discussed with the owners...

-..how we could transform

-the buildings for the area's needs.

-This was a machinery factory...

-..which was owned

-by a world-renowned company.

-They moved when it became clear

-they couldn't expand.

-We wanted to re-use the buildings

-to service local needs.

-The buildings now house

-various societies and businesses.

-Every tenant has promised to use

-as little energy as possible.

-Well, except for that boy.

-For years...

-..people have harnessed the Rhine

-to create electricity.

-Here, in Rheinwaldhorn,

-I can feel the power of the river...

-..as the largest waterfalls in

-Europe overflow over giant rocks.

-These are the Rhine waterfalls.

-The beauty and power of the Rhine

-and its wild water...

-..make me stand silently in awe.

-This is where the rock splits

-the Rhine...

-..with the young river

-in that direction...

-..and the mature river below us.

-As a poet once stated, this is

-where God strikes his lightning.

-The water falls from a height

-of 23 metres.

-The amount of water which

-flows every second varies greatly...

-..from 250-600 cubic metres.

-This great variation...

-..is caused by the effect of the sun

-on the glacier...

-..at the summit of the Alps.

-When the sun melts the ice

-in summer, the flow is greater.

-These days, the ice melts quickly

-throughout the year.

-How much stronger will

-the water flow be in the future?

-And what will happen

-when the ice melts completely?

-The last part of my journey

-takes me...

-..towards some of Europe's

-most dramatic landscapes.

-Here, I'm staggered

-by the beauty of the river.

-I travel through the Ruinaulta,

-this huge gorge...

-..which leads to the source

-of the Rhine - the Vorderrhein...

-..and a small lake

-high up in the Alps.

-Our story leads us

-to the other source.

-It's a dangerous

-and threatening story.

-The starting point of the

-Hinterrhein is the Rheinwaldhorn...

-..or to give it its local name -

-Paradise.

-This is where I appreciate the true

-challenge that faces the river...

-..and the people

-who live along its banks.

-One of the oldest tales

-of the Rhine is about an old man...

-..who lived in the shadow

-of the glacier.

-He owned a small patch of grassland

-high up in the Alps.

-The small field was called Paradise.

-A greedy neighbour called by

-and stole the land.

-That night, Mother Snow sought

-revenge on behalf of the old man...

-..and cast a spell

-over the grassland.

-In the morning, it was covered

-by a think layer of ice.

-Today, Paradise is under threat

-once more.

-Other greedy people

-have still not learnt their lesson.

-The glacier has shrunk by 25%

-in the last 25 years.

-Herr and Frau Lorez have lived

-at the foot of the Rheinwaldhorn...

-..for many years.

-The summit is common land.

-Everyone owns the Alps.

-Yes, it belongs

-to the whole village.

-We look after the land -

-we're all shepherds.

-There's no need to worry as long as

-everyone understands each other...

-..and no-one argues.

-When there is a misunderstanding,

-it is difficult.

-Everyone has to discuss.

-That's how it is in summer.

-From early-June to September.

-There's no need to be

-an authority on the environment...

-..to realize that the glacier

-is shrinking if you live here.

-My father always said

-that it was a ten-minute walk...

-..from the village to the glacier.

-You can now walk for three hours

-without reaching the glacier.

-That was back in the 1920s.

-Years ago, when it rained here...

-..it all stayed on the mountain.

-Now, it all slips down.

-We're worried

-in case there's an avalanche.

-It's a good source for

-the village's fresh water supply...

-..but if there's no ice on the top

-and no water flowing down...

-..it will be desolate here.

-Another way of life

-will disappear for ever.

-In Wales, we understand

-the pain and worry that's caused...

-..as communities die out,

-no matter what the cause.

-The traditions and culture

-of these people could disappear.

-No-one can deny that this glacier,

-like others in Europe...

-..is melting at a faster rate.

-The melting ice could surge

-along the valley floor...

-..causing floods

-that could engulf towns in its path.

-In the most extreme scenario,

-the ice could melt away completely.

-What then for the Rhine?

-What would happen

-to the farmers and fishermen...

-..the hauliers

-and the factory workers?

-What about the plants and the fish?

-What about the countries

-and their borders...

-..the people and their languages?

-Changing the river's direction...

-..changes the future

-of these people.

-Along my journey, I've realized

-that the Rhine, for centuries...

-..has supplied

-many countries and nations.

-Some live along its banks -

-others live far, far away.

-People have fought

-to control its waters...

-..but now,

-everyone will have to unite...

-..to safeguard the river.

-They must fight, side by side...

-..to secure it future

-in all its splendour.

-Today, uniting in this effort

-is the challenge.

-S4C subtitles by Simian 04 Cyf.

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