WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality Small water supplies

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WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality Small water supplies

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Foreword

These Guidelines, specifically tailored to small water supplies, build on over 60 years of guidance by the World Health Organization (WHO) on drinking-water quality. This guidance has formed an authoritative basis for the setting of national regulations and standards for water safety in support of public health.

Safe drinking-water is a human right. States have the responsibility to progressively improve drinking-water service delivery, paying particular attention to vulnerable communities.

Through Sustainable Development Goal 6 – to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030 – the world reaffirmed its commitment to ensure safe drinking-water in all settings. Settings served by small supplies, however, pose particular challenges.

Small supplies are more prone to breakdown and contamination in both developed and developing countries, with root causes linked to inadequate training, support, resourcing and oversight. As a result, a substantially smaller proportion of the population served by small supplies (including in rural areas) benefit from safely managed drinking-water as compared to large supplies.

Those served by small supplies are more at risk of consuming water containing pathogens and harmful chemical contaminants, which increases their risk of waterborne illness. In many cases, surveillance of small supplies is inadequate and water safety risks are not identified. Even when they are identified, corrective actions may not be taken, requiring consumers desiring safe water to treat water at home, which is an additional task on top of others such as water haulage.

Those most impacted are the marginalized and otherwise disadvantaged, including women and people living with disabilities. The ever-increasing impacts of climate change on water quantity and quality create additional urgency to act.

The problem is solvable. Many countries have developed innovative programmes to identify vulnerable communities through monitoring; address small supplies in regulations; and strengthen small water supply service delivery, including by targeting local operators with advice and technical support and thereby contributing to the professionalization of services. These highly beneficial actions recommended by WHO can be – and have been – implemented successfully. Some countries have proven that with political will, increased investment and community engagement, it is possible to radically scale up access to safe drinking-water through small supplies.

These Guidelines, which update the guidance provided in WHO’s 1997 Guidelines for drinking-water quality. Volume 3: surveillance and control of community supplies (or Surveillance and control of community supplies), underscore that it is unacceptable ix for water supplies to be managed by those without adequate training or support. They recognize the wide variety of supply types and management models that fall under the label of “small water supplies”, and they provide tailored guidance for several management models rather than focusing on community managed supplies only.

These Guidelines consolidate decades of practical experience in realizing the central goal of safe, sustainable and more professionalized service delivery. These experiences include lessons learned through the implementation of Surveillance and control of community supplies. For the first time, these Guidelines fully integrate the concept of water safety planning, with specific tailoring to a small supply context. Understanding the limitations of end-product testing, water safety planning allows small water suppliers to focus on proactively managing risks in a stepwise manner.

New tools to support risk management and surveillance include sanitary inspection packages for a suite of water delivery scenarios, each with revamped illustrations, supporting technical fact sheets and management advice.

These Guidelines have been designed to be practical and accessible. They offer clear guidance to support the progressive improvement of a broad range of small water supplies to achieve long-term objectives. By following the guidance in this document, governments can better address small water supplies in policies, regulations and supporting programmes to improve drinking-water safety for the many who rely on these supplies.

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