Experiences from integrating water and sanitation safety planning in small systems in rural Serbia.

The WHO recommends a risk management approach to ensure safe drinking-water and sanitation, so-called Water Safety Planning and Sanitation Safety Planning. However, applying these risk management approaches separately in small-scale drinking-water supply and sanitation systems might be challenging for rural communities with limited human, financial, and administrative resources. An integrated approach seems a better option. In this study, an integrated water and sanitation safety planning (iWSSP) approach was developed together with guidance and training material for the practical application of this novel approach. The integrated approach was piloted in three small systems in rural Serbia to identify benefits and suggestions for improvement which can be used for potential future scaling-up. Implementing iWSSP at the pilot sites contributed to a better understanding of both drinking-water supply and sanitation systems. It also resulted in increased awareness, knowledge, and understanding among staff of drinking-water supply and sanitation services. Key experts, including external facilitators, played a crucial role in the implementation of iWSSP. Future scaling-up of the integrated approach could be enabled if more guidance, easy-to-use training materials and templates become available which can be adapted and updated as needed.

Comparing the German enabling environment for nationwide Water Safety Plan implementation with international experiences: Are we still thinking big or already scaling up?

Ensuring safe drinking-water is the target of the Water Safety Plan (WSP) approach, which has been successfully applied to a large number of water supply systems around the world. Effective country-wide scaling up of WSP implementation requires an enabling environment at the policy level. By utilizing a multi-step mixed methods approach, this study summarizes international experience with WSP implementation and scaling-up efforts following the 8 steps of the WSP road map published by WHO and IWA for an enabling environment, shows what steps Germany has in place, and compares this with published international experience to inspire further policy action. Contrasting the international experience to the German situation revealed several overlaps but also profound differences, which, in turn, offer opportunities for mutual learning. Most experience in Germany and internationally is documented for the earlier steps of the WSP road map. Information particularly on developing a national strategy, securing financial instruments, activities to support continual implementation of WSPs and on review of the overall WSP experiences and sharing lessons learned appears to be scarce, while the importance of training, collaboration and alliances, and the value of a regulatory push are often stressed. In Germany, stakeholder engagement, guidance documents and workshop materials have been of vital importance. Information that could particularly inform further action in Germany mostly relate to considering a national WSP strategy, and how to shape an approach for external quality assurance of WSPs.

Implementation and evaluation of the water safety plan approach for buildings.

The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes water safety plans (WSPs) - a risk-based management approach - for premise plumbing systems in buildings to prevent deterioration of drinking-water quality. Experience with the implementation of WSPs in buildings were gathered within a pilot project in Germany. The project included an evaluation of the feasibility and advantages of WSPs by all stakeholders who share responsibility in drinking-water safety. While the feasibility of the concept was demonstrated for all buildings, benefits reported by building operators varied. The more technical standards were complied with before implementing WSP, the less pronounced were the resulting improvements. In most cases, WSPs yielded an increased system knowledge and awareness for drinking-water quality issues. WSPs also led to improved operation of the premise plumbing system and provided benefits for surveillance authorities. A survey among the European Network of Drinking-Water Regulators on the existing legal framework regarding drinking-water safety in buildings exhibited that countries are aware of the need to manage risks in buildings' installations, but experience with WSP is rare. Based on the successful implementation and the positive effects of WSPs on drinking-water quality, we recommend the establishment of legal frameworks that require WSPs for priority buildings whilst accounting for differing conditions in buildings and countries.

Linking water quality monitoring and climate-resilient water safety planning in two urban drinking water utilities in Ethiopia.

Unsafe drinking water is a recognized health threat in Ethiopia, and climate change, rapid population growth, urbanization and agricultural practices put intense pressure on availability and quality of water. Climate change-related health problems due to floods and waterborne diseases are increasing. With increasing insight into impacts of climate change and urbanization on water availability and quality and of required adaptations, a shift towards climate-resilient water safety planning was introduced into an Ethiopian strategy and guidance document to guarantee safe drinking water. Climate-resilient water safety planning was implemented in the urban water supplies of Addis Ababa and Adama, providing drinking water to 5 million and 500,000 people, respectively. Based on the risks identified with climate-resilient water safety planning, water quality monitoring can be optimized by prioritizing parameters and events which pose a higher risk for contaminating the drinking water. Water quality monitoring was improved at both drinking water utilities and at the Public Health Institute to provide relevant data used as input for climate-resilient water safety planning. By continuously linking water quality monitoring and climate-resilient water safety planning, utilization of information was optimized, and both approaches benefit from linking these activities.

Including aspects of climate change into water safety planning: Literature review of global experience and case studies from Ethiopian urban supplies.

In recent years, the water safety plan approach has been extended towards climate-resilient water safety planning. This happened in response to increasing insight into impacts of climate on drinking-water and required adaptation to anticipated climate change. Literature was reviewed for published guidance and case examples, documenting how to consider climate in water safety planning to support future uptake. Climate-resilient water safety plans were piloted within a project in the water supplies of Addis Ababa and Adama, Ethiopia. Case examples have been published in four of six WHO regions with a focus on urban supplies. Integration of climate aspects focused mostly on the steps of establishing the team, system description, hazard analysis and risk assessment, improvement planning and development of management procedures. While the traditional framework focuses on drinking-water quality, considering climate change augments aspects of water quantity. Therefore, other factors affecting water quantity such as population development and demand of other sectors need to be considered as well. Local climate information and tools should be employed as a significant success factor for future uptake. Such information should be incorporated as it becomes available, and may - depending on the setting - be incrementally integrated into existing water safety plans or used to develop new ones.

Capacity building and training approaches for water safety plans: A comprehensive literature review.

The World Health Organization has recommended Water Safety Plans (WSPs), a holistic risk assessment and risk management approach, for drinking-water suppliers across low-, middle- and high-income countries, since publishing its 2004 Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality. While rapid WSP adoption has occurred, capacity is still catching up to implementation needs. Many countries and regions lack case examples, legal requirements, and training resources for WSPs, corresponding to widespread capacity shortfall in the water supply sector. We undertook a comprehensive review of the literature on capacity building and training for WSPs, with the goal of providing recommendations for multiple stakeholder groups at the scales of individual utilities, national governments, and intermediate units of governance. We propose a WSP training taxonomy and discuss it in relation to the stages of learning (introduction, practice, and reinforcement); describe the importance of customizing training to the target group, local language and circumstances; highlight the relevance of auditing for evaluating change over time; and call for robust methods to monitor WSP capacity development.

Plan de gestion de la sécurité sanitaire de l’eau : guide pratique pour l’amélioration de la sécurité sanitaire de l’eau potable dans les petites communautés

Selon les Directives de qualité pour l’eau de boisson de l’OMS, la mise en place d’un plan de gestion de la sécurité sanitaire de l’eau (PGSSE) constitue l’approche la plus efficace en vue d’assurer une alimentation continue en eau potable. Même si l’alimentation en eau potable dans les zones rurales et les petites villes ne cesse de poser d’importants problèmes dans l’ensemble de la Région européenne de l’OMS, l’approche PGSSE s’est révélée efficace pour les systèmes d'approvisionnement en eau à petite échelle. Le présent guide pratique vise à faciliter la mise en oeuvre du PGSSE dans les petites communautés en fournissant de courtes explications sur ce processus et des modèles pratiques utilisables sur le terrain.

Принятие мер на уровне политики для улучшения работы маломасштабных систем водоснабжения и санитарии: инструменты политики и передовая практика в Общеевропейском регионе

Доступ к адекватным услугам водоснабжения и санитарии является важнейшей предпосылкой хорошего здоровья отдельной личности и всего населения. Люди, которые обслуживаются маломасштабными системами в сельской местности и в малых городах, имеют право на такой же уровень охраны здоровья, как и все остальные. Достижение Целей 3 и 6, сформулированных в Повестке дня в области устойчивого развития на период до 2030 г., требует ведения борьбы с заболеваниями, передающимися через воду, и обеспечения к 2030 г. всеобщего и справедливого доступа как к безопасной питьевой воде, так и к адекватной санитарии для всех. Для обеспечения всеобщего доступа необходимо обращать должное внимание на особенности и трудности, которые могут мешать маломасштабным системам водоснабжения и санитарии предоставлять безопасные и устойчивые в долгосрочной перспективе услуги. Улучшение положения дел в таких системах является одной из приоритетных областей деятельности, предусмотренных Протоколом по проблемам воды и здоровья к Конвенции по охране и использованию трансграничных водотоков и международных озер 1992 г. В рамках этой деятельности и была подготовлена предлагаемая публикация. Она предназначена для того, чтобы поддержать принятие действенных мер на уровне политики и способствовать укоренению передовой практики с целью создания благоприятной среды, в которой можно улучшить ситуацию в отношении маломасштабных систем. Публикация знакомит читателя с разнообразными инструментами, которые могут применяться лицами, формирующими политику, и показывает, как эти инструменты можно приспособить к особенностям маломасштабных систем. В ней также представлен целый ряд примеров из практики, в которых иллюстрируется, как страны по своей инициативе предпринимали меры по улучшению положения дел в маломасштабных системах.

Taking policy action to improve small-scale water supply and sanitation systems: tools and good practices from the pan-European region

Access to adequate water and sanitation services is essential for good individual and population health. People served by small-scale systems in rural areas and small towns have the right to the same level of health protection as others. Goals 3 and 6 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development call for combating of waterborne diseases and for ensuring universal and equitable access to both safe drinking-water and adequate sanitation for all by 2030. To achieve universal access, due attention needs to be paid to the particularities and challenges that may impair the provision of safe and sustainable services by small-scale water supply and sanitation systems. Improving the situation of such systems is a priority area under the Protocol on Water and Health to the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. This publication was developed under the Protocol; it aims to support effective policy action and promote good practices for creating an enabling environment in which to improve the situation of small-scale systems. It introduces a variety of tools that are available to policy-makers and highlights how these can be tailored to the particularities of small-scale systems. It also presents a number of case studies that illustrate how countries have taken the initiative to improve the situation of small systems.

Состояние маломасштабных систем водоснабжения в Европейском регионе ВОЗ: результаты опроса, проведенного в соответствии с Протоколом по проблемам воды и здоровья

Маломасштабные системы являются важным компонентом водоснабжения в Европейском регионе ВОЗ. С целью расширения базы фактических данных о маломасштабных системах водоснабжения и получения более полного представления о положении дел в Регионе, Европейское региональное бюро ВОЗ и Европейская экономическая комиссия ООН провели опросное исследование, участникам которого предлагалось представить конкретную информацию по их странам за 2012–2013 гг. в соответствии с Протоколом по проблемам воды и здоровья к Конвенции об охране и использовании трансграничных водотоков и международных озер, принятой в 1992 г. Данное опросное исследование отличалось высоким показателем доли ответивших респондентов (81%), и при анализе результатов были рассмотрены ответы 43 из 53 стран Европейского региона ВОЗ. В настоящем докладе подытожены выводы, сделанные по итогам опроса, который показал, что источником питьевой воды для 23% населения в Регионе служат маломасштабные системы водоснабжения. Результаты показывают, что в странах Региона на национальном уровне, как правило, бывает сложно найти комплексную информацию о маломасштабных системах водоснабжения, что препятствует проведению систематической оценки наиболее характерных условий. Создание национальных реестров маломасштабных систем водоснабжения и механизмов планового сбора данных позволит расширить доказательную базу, что, в свою очередь, будет способствовать приоритизации улучшений. Результаты оценки призваны обеспечить информационную основу для формирования политики и разработки стратегий проведения вмешательств, а также помочь определить дальнейшие действия в рамках Протокола.

Status of small-scale water supplies in the WHO European Region: results of a survey conducted under the Protocol on Water and Health

Small-scale systems are an important component of water supplies in the WHO European Region. To improve the evidence base on small-scale water supplies and to gain a better overview of the status quo throughout the Region, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe made a survey requesting country-specific information in 2012–2013 under the Protocol on Water and Health to the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. The survey had a high response rate (81%), and this analysis of the results includes responses from 43 of the 53 countries in the WHO European Region. This report summarizes the findings of the survey, which showed that about 23% of the population of the Region receive their drinking-water from small-scale systems. The results reveal that comprehensive information on small-scale water supplies is typically not readily available at the national level across the Region, which hampers systematic assessment of the prevailing conditions. Establishing national registers of small-scale water supplies and routine data collection mechanisms would improve the evidence base and thus support the prioritization of improvements. The findings of the assessment are intended to inform policy-making and the formulation of intervention strategies and to help identify further action under the Protocol.

План обеспечения безопасности воды: практическое руководство по повышению безопасности питьевой воды в небольших местных общинах

Подход, предполагающий разработку и реализацию “Плана обеспечения безопасности воды” (ПОБВ),рекомендован в Руководстве ВОЗ по обеспечению качества питьевой воды как наиболее действенныйспособ, позволяющий бесперебойно снабжать потребителей безопасной питьевой водой. Проблемыи трудности, связанные со снабжением питьевой водой населения сельских районов и малых городов,вызывают серьезную озабоченность во всем Европейском регионе ВОЗ, однако подход к решениюэтих проблем, в основе которого лежит ПОБВ, доказал свою эффективность в маломасштабныхсистемах водоснабжения. Предлагаемое практическое руководство, в котором содержатся краткиепояснения процесса разработки и осуществления ПОБВ и готовые к практическому использованиюформы документов для использования в реальных условиях, предназначено для того, чтобы помочьвнедрить методику и принципы ПОБВ в небольших общинах.

Water safety plan: a field guide to improving drinking-water safety in small communities

The WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality recommend the water safety plan (WSP) approach as the most effective way of ensuring continuous provision of safe drinking-water. The challenges related to drinking-water supply in rural areas and small towns are of notable concern across the entire WHO European Region, but the WSP approach has been proven to work effectively in small-scale water supplies. This field guide aims to support WSP implementation in small communities by providing brief explanations of the WSP process and practical templates for field use.