Proceedings of the 43rd WEDC International Conference

Guidelines for drinking-water quality:
small water supplies

Why do small water supplies need explicit consideration and support?
Small water supplies commonly experience operational,managerial, technical and resourcing challenges that impact their ability to deliver safe and reliable services. As a result, those who rely on small supplies are disproportionately affected by waterrelated illness and adverse social and economic impacts. The needs and opportunities associated with these supplies therefore warrant explicit consideration in policies, regulations and supporting programmes.

What do World Health Organization resources offer?
The 2024 publications described below provide guidance and tools that are practical, accessible and rooted in the principle of progressive improvement. These resources build on over 60 years of guidance by WHO on drinking-water quality and safety. They reflect a comprehensive review of evidence and established good practices on the stepwise achievement of safe and sustainable service delivery from small water supplies that are managed by households, communities or professional entities.

Clear recommendations for decision-makers
The Guidelines publication presents decision-makers with recommendations related to health-based regulations, water safety planning (and sanitary inspection) and independent surveillance in the context of small water supplies. It also presents practical implementation actions for each recommendation, as well as case studies that demonstrate the guidance being applied in practice in a wide variety of countries and contexts.

A practical tool to implement recommendations
The Sanitary inspection packages publication serves as a tool to help stakeholders (e.g. health authorities, surveillance agencies and water suppliers) implement the Guidelines recommendations on risk management and surveillance. Each package includes a sanitary inspection form (a checklist of yes/no questions with a supporting illustration to identify and manage common risk factors), as well as technical information and management advice.