Emergencies and disasters
Rolling revision of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality
Background
Section 6.2 of the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality deals with various aspects of water supply and quality in emergencies and disasters as an application of the Guidelines in specific circumstances. However, there is a need for more detailed guidance on water safety in emergencies and disasters. Other WHO documents available on emergencies and disasters include Environment and Health in Emergencies: a practical guide and Disasters and Public Health Response to Biological and Chemical Weapons, but do not address water substantively. The WHO Regional Office for the Americas has reiterated the importance of this issue to the Americas region and stressed the need for checklists, specific guidance on actions to take in the event of an emergency or disaster, etc.
Expected end-product(s)
- Stand-alone document;
- New text throughout Water Safety Plans chapter for inclusion in the second addendum to the Third Edition
Progress to date
The Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality Working Group meeting (Geneva, 2004) agreed to a plan of work. A draft document and new text for the second addendum were prepared for the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality Working Group meeting (Geneva, 2005) and will be reviewed.