Water Sanitation and Health
Our vision and mission are the attainment by all peoples of the lowest possible burden of water and sanitation-related disease through primary prevention.
Small water supply management
The provision of safe and acceptable drinking-water of sufficient quantity frequently represents a challenge to small water supply systems in both developed and developing countries.
Small water supplies often experience technical and resourcing challenges that impact their ability to deliver safe and reliable services. They are therefore more likely to experience deficiencies related to water safety, leading to water-related illnesses and adverse social and economic impacts. To overcome these challenges, small water supplies should be explicitly considered in policies and regulations, taking a tailored approach and providing supporting tools, including those to support safe water supply management.
Investing in small water supplies will reduce waterborne disease outbreaks and overall costs in terms of the prevention of illness, death and associated health-care costs.
Relevant publications
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15 February 2024
Guidelines for drinking-water quality: small water supplies
Small drinking-water supplies commonly experience operational, managerial, technical and resourcing challenges that impact their ability to deliver safe...
15 February 2024
Sanitary inspection packages – a supporting tool for the Guidelines for drinking water quality: small...
A sanitary inspection is a simple, on-site evaluation (traditionally using a checklist) to help identify and support the management of priority risk factors...
15 May 2016
Protecting surface water for health: Identifying, assessing and managing drinking-water quality risks...
Protecting surface water for health provides a structured approach to understanding surface waters and their catchments to support the identification,...
16 August 2012
Water safety planning for small community water supplies
The WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality recommends the application of a comprehensive risk assessment and risk management approach called Water Safety...