KWR is WHO Collaborating Centre on Water Quality and Health

KWR has become an official partner of the World Health Organization (WHO). The announcement was made by WHO management just before Christmas. KWR will now conduct existing and new activities that contribute to WHO's objectives, and thus to world health, under the banner of "WHO Collaborating Centre on Water Quality and Health". In this way, KWR contributes actively to reducing infant mortality caused by diarrhoea. From "Serious Request" to "serious action": KWR researchers accomplish this by testing water treatment systems, knowledge transfer and training.

The new WHO Collaborating Centre is located at KWR, more specifically, in the Water Quality and Health Knowledge Group. Gertjan Medema, Chief Science Officer and professor of Water & Health, heads the centre, the objective of which is to support WHO's work: striving for the maximum possible level of health for all of the world's citizens. WHO provides advice worldwide in the area of water policy and regulation. When formulating its advice the organisation collects quality knowledge and translates it for world water practice.

KWR's position :For over 40 years, KWR has conducted research into water quality and health - among others, with the Dutch water companies - and has built up a great deal of in-house expertise. Its designation as a Collaborating Centre signifies a continuation of the working relationship that already existed between KWR and WHO in the field of microbial and chemical water safety and sanitation. For KWR, the designation also represents a recognition of the value of our knowledge in the effort to help tackle global water quality problems. KWR had previously already contributed to WHO recommendations, by providing its knowledge on microbial risk analysis, Water Safety Plans and the health effects of drinking water hardness. In the years ahead, the translation of scientific knowledge for world water practice will remain central, so that we are now sowing the seeds for a new approach to water quality and regulation, which is also important to our clients.

What is involved :The duration of the "partnership" between KWR and WHO is 4 years. Over this period KWR will pursue the following activities:

Participate in the WHO Water Expert Group and contribute knowledge in the area of microbial safety of water
Conduct research into the application of microbial risk analysis and into controlling cyanobacteria in bathing water
Organise workshops, jointly with WHO and IWA, to stimulate knowledge exchange.

We will also be carrying out a number of new activities within the framework of the Collaborating Centre:

Provide training in the area of Water Safety Plans and microbial water quality monitoring
Function as a specialty laboratory in the event of outbreaks of disease via water
Function as a test laboratory to verify the effectiveness of household water treatment systems in developing countries.

Household water treatment systems constitute an important contribution to reducing diarrhoea-related disease and mortality. WHO has selected KWR and the NSF in the US as test laboratories for these systems. We expect to be conducting the first tests this spring.

Source link

Media

Taxonomy

• Sanitation
• Waterless Sanitation