Water Safety Plan Manual: Step-by-step risk management for drinking-water suppliers (now available in Polish and Russian)
This workbook supports water safety planning in organized water supplies managed by a water utility or similar entity. It describes how to develop and implement a WSP in clear and practical terms through eleven learning modules.
In developing the fourth edition of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, the chemical background document, Uranium in Drinking-water has been revised.
Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development
The Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to the dissemination of high-quality information on the science, policy and practice of drinking-water supply, sanitation and hygiene at local, national and international levels, published by IWA Publishing. Click on the links below to view abstracts of some of the papers included in the latest issue of the journal:
Open trickling filter: an innovative, cheap and simple form of post-treatment of sanitary effluents from anaerobic reactors in small communities. P.C. Vieira and M. von Sperling, 59–67 doi:10.2166/washdev.2012.072
Sludge removal from primary wastewater stabilization ponds with excessive accumulation: a sustainable method for developing regions. Stewart M. Oakley, Luciana Coêlho Mendonça and Sérgio Rolim Mendonça, 68–78 doi:10.2166/washdev.2012.093
Impact of climate and bulking materials on characteristics of compost from ecological toilets. James W. McKinley, Rebecca E. Parzen and Álvaro Mercado Guzmán, 79–86 doi:10.2166/washdev.2012.059
Optimizing the solar water disinfection (SODIS) method by decreasing turbidity with NaCl. Brittney Dawney and Joshua M. Pearce, 87-94 doi:10.2166/washdev. 2012.043
UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) WSH completed the analysis and assessment for UN-Water and the GLAAS 2012
report was launched by the Chair of UN-Water, Michel Jarraud, on 12 April
2012. The report can now be downloaded in its definitive version
from here. It presents new data from 74 low- and middle-income countries and 24
external support agencies, illustrating the status of key efforts and trends
relating to securing increased water, sanitation and hygiene provision. The
report warns that sanitation and drinking-water service coverage could
regress if adequate resources are not secured to sustain routine operation
and maintenance, and also points to the needs for increased efforts to
continue positive trends in resource targeting, to enhance countries'
absorption capacity of aid funds and to accelerate human resource
development
UNICEF: Call to action for WASH in schools
UNICEF: World Water Day: Promoting hygiene and water treatment in Guinea
Diarrhoea: why children are still dying and what can be done
In October UNICEF and WHO released a report detailing a joint approach to reducing child mortality from diarrhoeal diseases. The report presents a
seven-point strategy, including promotion of hand washing with soap; improved water supply quantity and quality, including household water
treatment and safe storage; and community-wide sanitation promotion.
Report is available at
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2009/childhood_deaths_diarrhoea_20091014/en/index.html
Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage '09
(HWTS'09, Dublin, Ireland, 21-23 September 2009) aimed to address barriers in introducing, scaling-up and achieving sustainable household water
treatment and safe storage. The Conference programme was, in part, dedicated to the WHO-hosted HWTS Network. Presentations can be found at
http://www.rcsi.ie/hwts09/Links to presentations.doc
For a list of major outcomes concerning the network please email Ameer Shaheed [email protected]
Rapid dead-end ultrafiltration concentration and biosensor detection of enterococci from beach waters of Southern California
Stephaney D. Leskinen, Valerie J. Harwood and Daniel V. Lim
doi:10.2166/wh.2009.086 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070674.htm
Molecular detection of enterotoxins in environmental
strains of Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas jandaei
L. C. Balsalobre, M. Dropa, G. R. Matté and M. H. Matté doi:10.2166/wh.2009.082 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070685.htm
Where's the pump? Associating sporadic enteric disease with drinking water using a geographic information system, in British
Columbia, Canada, 1996–2005
Sasha Uhlmann, Eleni Galanis, Tim Takaro, Sunny Mak, Larry Gustafson, Glen Embree, Neil Bellack, Kitty Corbett and Judy Isaac-Renton
doi:10.2166/wh.2009.108 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070692.htm
Mathematical models for Enterococcus faecalis recovery after microwave water disinfection
Earl Benjamin, Aron Reznik, Ellis Benjamin, Saroj K. Pramanik, Louise Sowers and Arthur L. Williams
doi:10.2166/wh.2009.132 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070699.htm
28 September, 2009
Hygienic effects and gas production of plastic bio-digesters under tropical conditions Vo Thi Yen-Phi, Joachim Clemens, Andrea Rechenburg, Björn Vinneras, Christina Lenßen and Thomas Kistemann doi:10.2166/wh.2009.127 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070590.htm
Decline in recycled water quality during short-term storage in open ponds Jennifer Higgins, Jan Warnken, Peter R. Teasdale and J. Michael Arthur doi:10.2166/wh.2009.134 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070597.htm
Data gaps in evidence-based research on small water enterprises in developing countries Melissa C. Opryszko, Haiou Huang, Kurt Soderlund and Kellogg J. Schwab doi:10.2166/wh.2009.213 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070609.htm
Hand–mouth transfer and potential for exposure to E. coli and F+ coliphage in beach sand, Chicago, Illinois Richard L. Whitman, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Dawn A. Shively, Meredith B. Nevers and Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli doi:10.2166/wh.2009.115 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070623.htm
The case for re-evaluating the upper limit value for selenium in drinking water in Europe E. Barron, V. Migeot, S. Rabouan, M. Potin-Gautier, F. Séby, P. Hartemann,
Y. Lévi and B. Legube doi:10.2166/wh.2009.097 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070630.htm
11 September, 2009
Comparing probabilistic microbial risk assessments for drinking water against daily rather than annualised infection probability targets R. S. Signor and N. J. Ashbolt doi:10.2166/wh.2009.101 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070535.htm
Optimising water treatment practices for the removal of Anabaena circinalis and its associated metabolites, geosmin and saxitoxins Lionel Ho, Paul Tanis-Plant, Nawal Kayal, Najwa Slyman and Gayle Newcombe doi:10.2166/wh.2009.075 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070544.htm
Quantifying the burden of disease associated with inadequate provision of water and sanitation in selected sub-Saharan refugee camps Aidan A. Cronin, Dinesh Shrestha, Paul Spiegel, Fiona Gore and Heiko Hering doi:10.2166/wh.2009.089 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070557.htm
Enteric illness risks before and after water treatment improvements Floyd J. Frost, Kristine Tollestrup, Melissa Roberts, Twila R. Kunde, Gunther F. Craun and Lucy Harter doi:10.2166/wh.2009.116 http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/007/jwh0070581.htm
17 July, 2009
WHO at the Singapore Intern'nal Water Week (SIWW) 2009 The 2nd Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) was held 22-26 June 2009 in
Singapore. Key WHO engagements included a WHO Working Group Meeting on Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Drinking Water, the 2nd
Meeting of the International Network of Drinking-water Regulators (RegNet), and a Planning meeting for the Global Water Safety Plan Conference 2010 with
International Water Association and Malaysian Water Association, 22 June 09. Bruce Gordon presented "WHO Aspirations for Guidelines for Drinking Water
Quality" and was a panelist for the session on Water and Health. More information on the SIWW 2009 can be found at: http://www.siww.com.sg/
CLIMATE CHANGE, WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION How will climate change affect drinking-water supply and sanitation? Will more floods
and droughts jeopardize efforts to achieve the MDG targets? What are the implications for technology development to include improved resilience to
climate change impacts? And: what actions are needed now to ensure future policies, institutional capacities and technical capabilities can meet
demands on water supply and sanitation resulting from climate change?
All these questions are addressed in a new summary report (Vision 2030)
that will be launched at a WHO/DFID side event at World Water Week on Friday
21 August at 12:30. For more information on this year's Stockholm World Water Week Programme and the WHO co-convened events go
to www.worldwaterweek.org
26 May, 2009
Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, third edition, incorporating first and second
addenda
Draft Chemical Background document on Potassium to the Guidelines for Drinking-water
Quality available for comments In developing the fourth edition of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water
Quality, Potassium in Drinking-water, a chemical background document has been prepared. Comments on the fact sheet should be sent to [email protected]. Closing date for receiving
comments - 15 July 2009. http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/gdwqrevision/potassium/en/index.html
30 April, 2009
Calcium and Magnesium in Drinking Water: Beneficial Impacts on Health Can calcium
and magnesium (‘hardness’) in drinking water contribute to preventing
disease? This book documents the outputs of an expert group assembled by the
World Health Organization to address this question. It includes their
comprehensive consensus view on what is known and what is not about the role
and possible health benefit of calcium and magnesium in drinking-water click
on link for more information
Mercury Mercury, one of
the world's most ubiquitous heavy metal neurotoxicants, has been an integral
part of many medical devices, most prominently thermometers and
sphygmomanometers. These devices break or leak with regularity, adding to
the global burden of mercury in the environment and exposing health care
workers and patients to the acute effects of the metal itself. The health
care sector around the world is moving to replace mercury-based medical
devices with affordable, accurate and safer alternatives.
The World
Health Organization in collaboration with Health Care Without Harm is
co-leading a global initiative to achieve virtual elimination of
mercury-based thermometers and sphygmomanometers over the next decade and
their substitution with accurate, economically viable alternatives. The
initiative is a component of the UN Environment Programme’s Mercury Products
Partnership. For
information on this Initiative visit:
mercuryfreehealthcare
Water
Safety Plan Manual: Step-by-step risk management for drinking-water
suppliers
(now available in Spanish) This
much-anticipated workbook describes how to develop and implement a WSP in
clear and practical terms through
eleven learning modules.
Draft
Chemical Background document on Nitrobenzene to the Guidelines for
Drinking-water quality available for comments
In developing the fourth edition
of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, "Nitrobenzene in
Drinking-water", a chemical background document has been prepared. Comments
on the background document should be sent to [email protected]. Closing date for
receiving comments 15
July 2009.
Draft
Chemical Background on Temephos to the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality
available for comments
In developing
the fourth edition of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality,
Temephos in Drinking-water, a chemical background document has been
prepared. Comments on the background document should be sent to
[email protected]. Closing
date for receiving comments - 15 July 2009
Draft
Chemical Background on Beryllium to the Guidelines for Drinking-water
Quality available for comments
In developing
the fourth edition of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality,
Beryllium in Drinking-water, a chemical background document has been
prepared. Comments on the background document should be sent to
[email protected]. Closing
date for receiving comments - 30 July 2009
Event The Water and
Sanitation Company of the State of São Paulo (SABESP, Brazil), through its
Development and Technology Innovation Department, will hold the
International Seminar on Water Reuse from May 13 to 15, 2009 in the city of
São Paulo-SP, Brazil. Their web site can be reached at
www.sabesp.com.br
The second
regional Asia Pacific Conference on health impact assessment was held in
Chiang Mai Thailand 22-24 April 2009, with special reference to HIA of water
resources development as part of the programme. The Conference outcome,
including the Chiang Mai Declaration will shortly be published on
www.hia2008chiangmai.com
GIS-based
analysis of the fate of waste-related pathogens Cryptosporidium parvum,
Giardia lamblia and Escherichia coli in a tropical canal network Mamadou B. C. Diallo, Alfredo J. Anceno, Benjawan Tawatsupa, Nitin K.
Tripathi, Voranuch Wangsuphachart and Oleg V. Shipin doi:10.2166/wh.2009.010 iwaponline info
Is fecal
contamination of drinking water after collection associated with household
water handling and hygiene practices? A study of urban slum households in
Hyderabad, India Jayasheel Eshcol, Prasanta Mahapatra and Sarita Keshapagu doi:10.2166/wh.2009.094 iwaponline info
Measuring the effectiveness of performance-based training William Bowman, Michael Messner, Stig Regli and Jon Bender doi:10.2166/wh.2009.004 iwaponline info
A study
of ecological sanitation as an integrated urban water supply system: case
study of sustainable strategy for Kuching City, Sarawak, Malaysia Darrien Mah Yau Seng, Frederik Josep Putuhena, Salim Said and Law Puong Ling doi:10.2166/wh.2009.103 iwaponline info
13 March, 2009
There
was a technical problem to the link
"Water
Safety Plan Manual: Step-by-step risk management for drinking-water
suppliers"
We do sincerely apologize.
Please find below an updated version.
Thank
you for your patience.
Water,
Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Newsletter N° 101 / 10 March 2009 - corrected
link to WSP Manual
Water
Safety Plan Manual: Step-by-step risk management for water suppliers In 2004,
the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality recommended that water
suppliers develop and implement "Water Safety Plans" (WSPs) in order to
systematically assess and manage risks. Since this time, governments and
regulators, water suppliers and practitioners have increasingly embraced
this approach, but they have also requested further guidance. This much-anticipated
workbook answers this call by describing how to develop and implement a WSP
in clear and practical terms. Stepwise advice is provided through 11
learning modules, each representing a key step in the WSP development and
implementation process.
Application of Helminth ova infection dose curve to estimate the risks
associated with biosolid application on soil I. Navarro, B. Jiménez, S. Lucario and E. Cifuentes
doi:10.2166/wh.2009.113 iwaponline info
Addressing disease surveillance needs for marine recreational bathers David Turbow doi:10.2166/wh.2009.077 iwaponline info
A water
contamination incident in Oslo, Norway during October 2007; a basis for
discussion of boil-water notices and the potential for post-treatment
contamination of drinking water supplies Lucy Robertson, Bjørn Gjerde, Elisabeth Furuseth Hansen and Teresa
Stachurska-Hagen doi:10.2166/wh.2009.014 iwaponline info
10 March, 2009
101st
Edition of Water,
Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Newsletter This is
the 101st edition of the WHO Water and Sanitation
Hygiene and Health
Newsletter. Since its start, it has maintained a more-or-less consistent
style, focusing on what WHO is working on, with brief "headlines" and links
further information.
It
now has around 5,000 self subscribed readers. We see
the newsletter as a simple but effective mechanism to distribute
information. Coordination of the newsletter is now with Ms Deborah Asante-Luisier who
joined us in December. We would welcome any comments on the newsletter as
we planned to its next 101st edition. They should be addressed to
Deborah at="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]
According to the former WHO Director General Dr LEE Jong-Wook, " Water
and Sanitation is one if the primary drivers of public health.
"I
often refer to it as Health 101",
which means that once we can secure access to clean water and to adequate
sanitation facilities for all people, irrespective of difference in their
living conditions, a huge battle against all kinds of diseases will be won".
Promoting household water treatment and safe storage Every
year there are 1.6 million diarrhoeal deaths related to unsafe water,
sanitation, and hygiene—the vast majority among children under 5. More than
one billion people lack access to an improved water source.
A
recent international conference aimed to strengthen national initiatives to
control waterborne diseases by expanding
household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS)
programmes and developing multisectoral partnerships.
The government of the meeting’s
host country, the United Republic of Tanzania, took a leadership role by
developing its HWTS policy, including a framework for a National Action Plan
to promote and scale up HWTS and
building a link to
cholera prevention.
HWTS Network,
Water Safety Plan Manual: Step-by-step risk management for drinking-water
suppliers
In
2004, the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality recommended that water
suppliers
develop and implement "Water Safety Plans" (WSPs) in order to systematically
assess and manage risks. Since this time, governments and regulators, water
suppliers and practitioners have increasingly embraced this approach, but
they have also requested further guidance.
This
much-anticipated workbook answers this call by describing how to develop and
implement a WSP in clear and practical terms. Stepwise advice is provided
through 11 learning modules, each representing a key step in the WSP
development and implementation process.
From
1 to 8 March WHO/WSH is organizing the first part of its training course "Health
Opportunities in Development" for 28 participants from different public
sectors in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. It aims to develop skills for
intersectoral negotiation in support of health impact assessment. This
face-to-face part will be followed by a trial e-learning part, and the
course will be closed with face-to-face sessions in June. For more
information contact Robert Bos,="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]
Event
The
Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) is organizing an
International Conference on Environment and Health from 16 to 19 March 2009,
covering a range of water-related issues including water quality, global
environmental issues, monitoring and environmental health impact assessment.
WHO/PHE has been invited to present "The Global Environmental Burden of
Disease" and "Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Development Projects".
More information on
International Conference
on Environment and Health
Rainfall and outbreaks of drinking water related disease and in England and
Wales Gordon Nichols, Chris Lane, Nima Asgari, Neville Q. Verlander and Andre
Charlett doi:10.2166/wh.2009.143 Rainfall and outbreaks of drinking water related disease
A sea
change ahead for recreational water quality criteria Alexandria B. Boehm, Nicholas J. Ashbolt, John M. Colford, Lee E. Dunbar,
Lora E. Fleming, Mark A. Gold, Joel A. Hansel, Paul R. Hunter, Audrey M.
Ichida, Charles D. McGee, Jeffrey A. Soller and Stephen B. Weisberg doi:10.2166/wh.2009.122 A sea
change ahead for recreational water quality criteria
Household characteristics associated with home water treatment: an analysis
of the Egyptian Demographic and Health Survey Jim Wright an doi:10.2166/wh.2009.056 home
water treatment
2 February, 2009
Water, sanitation and hygiene standards in schools in low-cost settings. WSH is seeking
assistance from those with suitable experience to review the draft - Water,
sanitation and hygiene standards in schools in low-cost settings
Draft- WASH
Standards in Schools.
A "Response Form" which details the type of review we are seeking can be
found here
Response Form
. We should be grateful to receive
responses from interested individuals/institutions by 28 February 2009.
Your assistance is much appreciated.
Cholera in Southern Africa
Up Until 29
January 2009, nine countries reported cholera cases. Zimbabwe continues to
remain the most critical situation with more than 60'000 reported cholera
cases. Trans-border infections have been recorded and there are concerns
that with the rainy season, the disease will spread even further. The
epidemic also further spread in South Africa (6'202 cases), Zambia (2'748
cases), and Malawi (1'142 cases). Swaziland is also affected by the outbreak.
Socio-economic and political factors, growing urbanization, population
movement and lack of basic infrastructure are aggravating factors. As the
situation is not expected to improve in the immediate future, partners
increasingly feel the need for a proper analysis of the risk factors,
definition of possible scenarios and identification of regional priorities
for preparedness and response interventions in the short medium and long
term.
Humanitarian
Situation-Cholera Update
Efforts must be intensified to control Zimbabwe cholera outbreak
Zimbabwe's
cholera outbreak, one of the world's largest ever recorded, is far from
being brought under control. An enhanced response is needed to urgently
reverse an epidemic that has infected more than 60 000 people and killed
more than 3100 since August 2008. Read the press
release
23 January, 2009
Draft
Chemical Background document on Nitrobenzene to the Guidelines for Drinking-water
quality available for comments
In developing the
fourth edition of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, "Nitrobenzene
in Drinking-water", a chemical background document has been prepared.
Comments on the background document should be sent to [email protected]. Closing
date for receiving comments 15 April 2009.
Water-,
sanitation- and hygiene-related diseases are a huge burden in developing
countries. About 88% of diarrhoeal diseases are caused by unsafe water
supply, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene (WHO 2004c)
Schools with poor water,
sanitation and hygiene conditions are the most affected.
Current crisis in Gaza In support of
WHO's response to the current crisis in Gaza, and in line with
the declaration by the WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, which says "drinking
water in Gaza is scarce, sewage lines have been broken, and garbage is
piling up, making ideal conditions for the outbreak of disease", WSH has
contributed to the development of a Communicable Disease Risk Assessment
document led by the Disease Control in Humanitarian Emergencies (DCE) at WHO.
Event
Household
Water Treatment & Safe Storage Network – Technical Meeting
This year, the
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is dedicating its International
Research Colloquium on Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTS). It
is to take place in Dublin from the 17th -20th August 2009. As members of
the International Network to Promote HWTS, the RCSI are committed to scaling
up HWTS innovations, propagation, and most essentially, uptake in the
developing world. As the base of the Secretariat for the International
Network, the WHO will be co-sponsoring this event.
Draft Chemical Background document on Boron to the Guidelines for
Drinking-water quality available for comments In
developing the fourth edition of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water
Quality, Boron in Drinking-water, a chemical background document has been
revised. Comments on the background document should be sent to
[email protected] Closing date for
receiving comments 10 February 2009.
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/boron/en/
THE LEXICONN
To
promote a common understanding of technical terms related to health and
environment issues WHO has created an on-line searchable database with
multi-language terminology equivalence, called The Health and Environment
Lexicon The Lexicon. This is an on-going project which has three phases, listed
in order of priority: 1) translations; 2) definitions; and 3) explanations
and examples. Every week, more is added to the Lexicon.
Currently there
are 3,395 terms in English, with 2,860 French, 2,260 Spanish, and
over 1,420 Russian, Arabic and Chinese equivalents.
Over 800 terms
have a definition.
If you would like to be
considered as a potential reviewer or if you have any comments, suggestions
or additions, please email to
[email protected].
Zimbabwe
18 December 2008 - As of
17 December 2008, a total of 20 581 cases, including 1 111 deaths have been
reported by the Ministry of Health in Zimbabwe in nine provinces out of 10.
Matabeleland North is currently the only province where no cases have been
reported but this might be due to inadequate surveillance. Harare (centered
on Budiriro suburb in the south west) accounts for the majority of cases
(44%), followed by Beitbridge (17%) in Matabeleland South and Mudzi (7.5%)
in Mashonaland East. A total of 53 districts are affected by the disease.
Even though cholera is endemic in Zimbabwe since the early nineties, it is
the largest ever recorded cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe.
The outbreak has taken
on a subregional dimension with cases being reported from neighboring
countries. In South Africa as of 15 December, 1009 cumulative cases and 11
deaths (CFR of 1.1%) had been recorded, with the bulk of the cases (937) in
the Limpopo area. In Zambia, as of 10 December, 16 cases and 1 death (6.25%)
had been recorded in 4 districts of the Southern Province (Siavonga,
Livingstone, Mazabuka and Kalomo). Cases have also been reported in Botswana
(Palm Tree) and Mozambique (Guro district).
The current situation is closely linked to the lack of safe drinking water,
poor sanitation, declining health infrastructure, and reduced health care
staff. Other current risk factors include the commencement of the rainy
season and the movement of people within the country, and possibly across
borders, during the Christmas season.
The Department of Public Health and Environment at WHO is playing a key role
in the cholera response effort. Together with the Ministry of Health and
other health partners, WHO has established a cholera control and command
center in order to strengthen the coordination of the national response,
strengthen the case reporting and response mechanism and ensure early
detection and improve access to health care and proper case management. WHO
has also deployed experts in public health, water and sanitation, logistics
and social mobilization. WHO is closely supporting the Ministry of Health
request for international assistance in the areas of funds, materials and
supplies, and products to ensure safe drinking water.
Democratic Republic of Congo
In
DRC, during week 48 a total of 357 new suspected cholera cases including 13
deaths (CFR 3.6%) were reported. The number of cases reported has been
declining since week 46. The total for the whole province since January 2008
is 10,346 cases and 202 deaths (CFR 2 %) in 8 health zones.
Vacancy notice for a Technical Officer at WHO WHO
is currently announcing a vacancy for a Technical Officer at a P4 level in
the Water, Sanitation and Health Unit of the Department of Public Health and
Environment. Please find the vacancy notice and details for application in the link
below: WHO Vacancy Deadline for
applications:
13 January 2009
Microbiological evaluation of fecal bacterial composition from surface water
through aquifer sand material A.
Mark Ibekwe and Stephen R. Lyon.......... 411-421 doi:10.2166/wh.2008.058 Abstract
Water-related diseases outbreaks reported in Italy Monica
Francesca Blasi, Mario Carere, Enzo Funari, Maria Grazia Pompa and Elvira
Rizzuto..........
423-432 32 doi:10.2166/wh.2008.063 Abstract
8 December, 2008
Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, Second addendum to the Third
Edition, Volume 1, Recommendations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has today
released the web-based version of the Guidelines for Drinking-water
Quality, Second Addendum to the Third Edition, Volume 1,
Recommendations. This addendum adds to and supersedes information in the
third edition of the Guidelines.
In response to feedback received, the second
addendum includes more guidance on household water management, rainwater
harvesting, vended water, temporary water supplies, and pesticides used for
vector control in drinking-water sources. It also includes a series of new
microbial and chemical fact sheets. Moreover, "expanded" fact sheets are
included for key chemical risks such as arsenic, fluoride and
nitrate/nitrite.
Complete Spanish version - Guidelines
for Drinking-water Quality, third edition, incorporating first addendum,
Volume 1 - Recommendations is now available on line at:
Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality - Spanish
HACCP and water safety plans
in Icelandic water supply: Preliminary evaluation of experience
María J. Gunnarsdóttir and Loftur R. Gissurarson.......... 377-382
Use of the ISO 9308-1
procedure for the detection of E. coli in water utilizing two incubation
temperatures and two confirmation procedures and comparison with defined
substrate technology
C. R. Fricker, S. Bullock, K. Murrin and S. I.
Niemela.......... 389-397
Chemical Background documents to the Guidelines for Drinking-water
Quality
In
developing the second addendum to the third edition of the WHO Guidelines
for Drinking-water Quality and following a public review process, the
following chemical background documents are available for download in final,
published format:
A revised
version of the document, Petroleum Products in Drinking-water, prepared for
the 1st addendum to the third edition of the WHO Guidelines for
Drinking-water Quality is available at:
Petroleum
products in Drinking-water
Community
and household determinants of water quality in coastal Ghana Stephen T. McGarvey,
Justin Buszin, Holly Reed, Zarah Rahman, Catherine Andrzejewski, Michael J.
White, David C. Smith and Kofi Awusabo-Asare.......... 339-349
An epidemiological study of
enteric viruses in sewage with molecular characterization by RT-PCR and
sequence analysis A. Arraj, J. Bohatier,
A. Arraj, C. Aumeran, J. L. Bailly, H. Laveran and O. Traoré.......... 351-358
Abstract
doi:10.2166/wh.2008.053
An approach for developing
quantitative risk-based microbial standards for fresh produce Kristina D. Mena and
Suresh D. Pillai..........
359-364
Abstract
doi:10.2166/wh.2008.047
Faecal contamination of a
municipal drinking water distribution system in association with
Campylobacter jejuni infections
Tarja Pitkänen,
Ilkka T. Miettinen, Ulla-Maija Nakari, Anja Siitonen, Markku Kuusi, Johanna
Takkinen, Kalle Nieminen, Arja Holopainen and Marja-Liisa Hänninen.......... 365-376
Abstractt
doi:10.2166/wh.2008.050
24 September, 2008
The puzzle — informing key decision and policy makers in the sanitation
and drinking-water sectors
If the full picture of the
sanitation and drinking-water sectors is a puzzle, then service levels
reflected in the coverage figures are pieces of the puzzle. Other pieces
are information on institutional capacity, the policy framework, human
resources capacity, and the flows of sector funds together with the
capacity to absorb them. An important piece is the capacity to translate
all this information into better sanitation and drinking-water services,
resulting in healthier and more dignified living conditions, and a more
productive working environment.
WHO
Contribution to the Symposium "Coupling Sustainable Sanitation and
Groundwater Protection" 14.-17
October 2008
Hannover, Germany
The international symposium will serve
as a forum for exchange between
practitioners of development cooperation, technical and
scientific specialists and representatives of political institutions who
are committed
to substantive support for improved sanitation. It will therefore
discuss technical and scientific approaches towards improved sanitation
and groundwater protection within a political framework. A detailed
programme is now available at the symposium website. Information:
Coupling sustainable sanitation and groundwater
protection
Contact: [email protected]
Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety, Dakar, Senegal.
The sixth session of the
Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety took place in Dakar, Senegal from
15 to 19 September, with included in its a agenda an item on ecologically
based integrated pest management and integrated vector management. With a
focus on reducing reliance on chemical methods of vector control,
non-chemical methods, including water management in agro-ecosystems, were
highlighted in the presentations of WSH staff and a number of consultants.
For a summary account, see: Global
Partnerships in Chemicals Safety
The report of the sixth
session of IFCS, including recommendations on IPM and IVM, will be published
shortly on
AMRO Regional Symposium: "Sanitation: An
Essential Determinant of Health"
The Area of Sustainable Development
and Environmental Health ((SDE) of the Pan American Health Organization/World
Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is holding a Regional Symposium on
"Sanitation: An Essential Determinant of Health" from 10 to 11 October 2008
in Santiago,
Chile.
The SDE Symposium is held in line with
the International Year of Sanitation and, thus, addressing the challenges,
which Latin American countries face in order to achieve the MDGs, in
particular MDG 7, which is "to ensure environmental sustainability". The
access to water and sanitation is a fundamental health determinant, which
can improve life conditions of populations. PAHO considers the role of
companies of water and sanitation and its relation to communities as a great
challenge for the development of cities.
Improved methods for modelling drinking water treatment in
quantitative microbial risk assessment; a case study of
Campylobacter reduction by filtration and ozonation
P. W.
M. H. Smeets, G. J. Medema, Y. J. Dullemont, P. H. A. J. M. Van
Gelder and J. C. Van Dijk.......... 301-314
WHO has
posted a request for proposals in order to
assess five different types of leap-frog technologies, including the
benefits and limitations for each, and identify lessons learned with respect
to the use of leap-frog technologies in the management of small community
water supplies.
Individuals that are qualified professionals with expertise in the
drinking water supply management and an understanding of the challenges
associated with small community water supplies are invited to contribute to
this work.
Deadline for proposals: 22 September 2008, 11:00 hours, Central European
Time
WHO had
previously posted a request for proposals in order to develop guidance on
communication with respect to safe drinking water and household hygiene The
associated contract has been awarded to Cranfield University.
First Inter-Ministerial Conference on Health and
Environment in Africac
The
Inter-ministerial Conference for Health and Environment in Africa takes
place from 26-29 August 2008 in Libreville, Gabon. Organized by the World
Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), in
partnership with the Government of Gabon .
The
conference explores ways to address key priorities and linkages in line with
its theme “Health security through healthy environments”. It review
existing mechanisms and opportunities to address environmental challenges
facing Africa. An agreement on specific actions required for changes in
institutional arrangements and investment frameworks will be discussed more
information in the following website:
Environmental Health Consultant, specialized in Food
Safety; WHO office in Timor Letse, Grade: P3, Short-term appointment;
Duration of contract: One month; Duty Station: Dilli, Timor Leste. Aim:
Support the development of national standards for monitoring and evaluation
of food safety and identify capacity building needs in this area. Contact:
[email protected]
Mycobacterium avium in a shower linked to pulmonary disease
Joseph O. . Falkinham III, Michael D. Iseman, Petra de Haas and Dick
van Soolingen.......... 209–213
The microbiological quality of potable water on board ships docking
in the UK and the Channel Islands: an association of Port Health
Authorities and Health Protection Agency Study
P. Grenfell, C. L. Little, C. Lane, G. Nichols, S. Surman-Lee, M.
Greenwood, J. Averns and S. Westacott.......... 215–224
The Journal of Water and Health has received its first Impact
Factor: 1.164. A very positive result which its editors Charles P.
Gerba (University of Arizona, USA), Paul R. Hunter (University of
East Anglia, UK), Paul Jagals (Tshwane University of Technology,
South Africa), and In S. Kim (Gwangju Institute of Science and
Technology, Korea), are proud of. The journal represents a joint
commitment by IWA with WHO to promote high quality research and
practice across the full range of challenges to harnessing water for
health in developing and developed countries alike. The latest
edition of the journal is free to view at
http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/005/1/default.htm
11 August, 2008
WHO is developing a
series of Fact Sheets on Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Waste
in Emergencies
The aim of these Fact Sheets is to provide user friendly, practical
guidance to assist rapid response to crisis situations. They address
four different categories of emergency. The first addresses emergency
situations specifically. The second broadly covers a wide range of
environmental sanitation issues of use beyond the immediate emergency
situation. The third provides information on various vector-borne
diseases that need to be monitored in the context of an emergency
situation. The fourth shows the impact of water and sanitation on a
number of specific diseases.
WSH is seeking
assistance from those with suitable experience to review the draft Fact
Sheets. A "Comments Sheet" is attached which details the type of review
we are seeking. We should be grateful to receive responses from
interested individuals/institutions by 15 September 2008. Your
assistance is much appreciated.
7 August, 2008
WHO is developing a
series of Fact Sheets on Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Waste
in Emergencies
The aim of these Fact
Sheets is to provide user friendly, practical guidance to assist rapid
response to crisis situations. They address four different categories
of emergency. The first addresses emergency situations specifically.
The second broadly covers a wide range of environmental sanitation
issues of use beyond the immediate emergency situation. The third
provides information on various vector-borne diseases that need to be
monitored in the context of an emergency situation. The fourth
shows the impact of water and sanitation on a number of specific
diseases.
WSH is seeking
assistance from those with suitable experience to review the draft Fact
Sheets. A "Comments Sheet" is attached which details the type of review
we are seeking. We should be grateful to receive responses from
interested individuals/institutions by 15 September 2008. Your
assistance is much appreciated.
WHO Guide
to Hygiene and Sanitation in Aviation
The draft
Guide to Hygiene and Sanitation in Aviation, Third Edition (modules
addressing water, cleaning and disinfection) is available for public
review.
Community water supplies in both developing and
developed countries are more frequently associated with outbreaks of
waterborne disease than urban supplies. The
International Small Community Water Supply Network was formed to
promote the achievement of substantive and sustainable improvements to
the safety of small community water supplies, particularly in rural
areas, as a contribution to the Millennium Development targets related
to water and sanitation. Membership in the Network is open to all
interested stakeholders that agree with the Network's purpose and
objective and who are willing to commit themselves to working towards
achieving the objectives of the Network.
Fourth meeting of the
International Small Community Water Supply Network
The report for the
fourth meeting of the
International Small Community Water Supply Network has just been
posted onto the Network's website. The Network was formed to promote
the achievement of substantive and sustainable improvements to the
safety of small community water supplies, particularly in rural areas,
as a contribution to the Millennium Development targets related to water
and sanitation. Membership in the Network is open to all interested
stakeholders that agree with the Network's purpose and objective and who
are willing to commit themselves to working towards achieving the
objectives of the Network.
Request for Literature
on the Performance of Small Community Water Supplies
I
am in search of any papers, reports, or other literature evaluating the
performance of small community water supplies over time for a review
paper on the socio-economics of managing these supplies for the
International Small Community Water Supply Network. I am particularly
looking for literature that focuses on specific projects or
interventions and which include a description of the project inputs and
results (whether positive or negative) over time.
If
you have any recommendations, please email Emily Kumpel at
[email protected]
has issued its 2008 update report, "Progress on Drinking-water and
Sanitation: special focus on sanitation". As 2008 is the International Year
of Sanitation (IYS) JMP has made sanitation a major focus in this report.
In addition to analysing
global progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for
sanitation and drinking-water, it introduces a new way of assessing global,
regional and country progress using the "ladder" concept for both sanitation
and drinking-water. For sanitation, trends in using improved, shared, and
unimproved sanitation facilities are shown, in addition to the trend in open
defecation. The drinking-water ladder shows the percentage of global
population using piped connections into a dwelling, plot or yard; other
improved water sources; and unimproved sources. The intention is to
continue refining the "ladders" in future reports.
Core Questions on
Drinking-water and Sanitation for Household Surveys
Due to wide variations
among countries in survey tools and methods, comparison between different
surveys is difficult. To help overcome this problem, the WHO/UNICEF Joint
Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) has developed a
set of harmonized survey questions:
Core
questions on drinking-water and sanitation household surveys to help
resolve these comparability problems. Including this question set in
national surveys and censuses will help countries gain more systematic
information on the drinking-water and sanitation practices and needs of the
population.
The core question set
presented in this document is already in use by the Demographic and Health
Surveys, the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, and the World Health
Survey. JMP wishes to encourage widespread use of these harmonized
questions in countries both to facilitate evidence-based decision-making at
national level and to help enhance the accuracy of its own information.
The Lexicon
To
promote a common understanding of technical terms related to health and
environment issues WHO has created an on-line searchable database with
multi-language terminology equivalence, called The Health and Environment
Lexicon (The
Lexicon ). Most terms currently have multi-language equivalents in
French, Portuguese, and Spanish with Arabic, Chinese, German, and Russian
being added progressively. This is an on-going project which has three
phases, listed in order of priority: 1) translations; 2)
definitions; and 3) explanations and examples. The Lexicon
is being extended, completed and improved with all three phases being
addressed simultaneously for some terms. Currently over 350 terms have
definitions.
If you
would like to be considered as a potential reviewer or if you have any
comments, suggestions or additions, please email to
[email protected]
Award of a Contract
Earlier this year, WHO
posted a request for proposals in order to undertake the identification and
mapping of information and data requirements for implementing and assessing
drinking water programs. The associated contract has been awarded to
Flinders University.
The WHO report, Safer Water, better Health, recently published showed that a
staggering 9.1% of the total global burden of disease could be prevented by
improving access to clean water and improved sanitation and hygiene.
Hopefully the international community will now wake up to this staggering
fact and act accordingly.
HIA
Seminar in Stockholm
A morning seminar on
Health Impact Assessment of Water Resources Development is organized on
Thursday 21 August during the 2008 Stockholm World Water Week. The seminar
will introduce current concepts, principles and practice of HIA and how this
planning tool can be used to strengthen water resources management. Speakers
include Akiça Bari of IWMI, Peter Furu of DBL Denmark, Lorna Fewtrell, UK
(who just published an IWA book on the subject) and Juerg Utzinger of the
Swiss Tropical Institute.
International Year of
Sanitation Flagship publication from UN Water:
The PDF version of the
document in French, Spanish and English can be seen
Swimming Pool & Spa.
International Conference 2009
The Pool Water Treatment
Advisory Group is hosting the third in this series of biennial conferences.
Budapest in 2005; Munich in 2007; the Royal College of Physicians, 17-20
March 2009. Five sessions – Infections associated with pools, Health impact
of disinfection by-products, Water treatment, Technical management of pool
hygiene and Risk Management – will include a review of the WHO recreational
water guidelines. Details, including a call for papers.
Workshop on Adaptation to climate change in the water
sector
The
workshop will be organised under the auspices of the Water Convention and of
the Protocol on Water and Health. It will be hosted by the Netherlands and
jointly organized with Germany and Italy.
The
workshop is targeted at government officials from environment, health and
water authorities; water supply and wastewater managers; scientists working
on climate adaptation; representatives from private sector; non-governmental
and international organizations.
Symposium to the International Year of Sanitation
(IYS), 14-17 October 2008 Coupling Sustainable Sanitation and Groundwater
Protection WHO is co-sponsoring this International Symposium, organized
by the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR),
14-17 October 2008 in Hannover. The objective is to provide a forum for
interaction between practitioners and decision
makers, with the goal of finding practical solutions to sustainable
sanitation. Reducing health risks associated with inadequate sanitation is a
key cross-cutting theme.
The MDG Water and Sanitation Target: Refining the
monitoring tools This is an invitation to a UN-Water side event at CSD-16,
taking place on Tuesday, 13 May 2008, 13:15-14:45, in Conference Room 4, UN
Office New York, USA.
Side event topics:
The UN-Water initiatives to monitor the MDG water
and sanitation target;
The latest WHO/UNICEF JMP 2008 report;
The Global Annual Assessment of Sanitation and
Drinking-Water.
Water Quality Interventions to Prevent Diarrhoea: Cost
and Cost-Effectiveness While a growing body of research
has confirmed the effectiveness of many household water treatment
technologies in improving microbial water quality and reducing disease,
questions remain about which technologies are most appropriate to deploy,
and how these compare in costs with source-based interventions (e.g. tap
stands, bore holes and dug wells). This new report, based on a rigorous
systematic review, and a comprehensive assessment of costs, provides
guidance to policy makers, programme implementers, and NGOs on costs and
cost-effectiveness of water quality interventions.
To promote a common understanding of
technical terms related to health and environment issues WHO has created an
on-line searchable database with multi-language terminology equivalence,
called the Health and Environment Lexicon. Most terms currently have
multi-language equivalents in French (2,300), Spanish (2,100), and
Portuguese (1,700) with Arabic (1,300), Chinese (1,300), German (600), and
Russian (800) being added progressively. This is an on-going project which
has three phases, listed in order of priority: 1) translations; 2)
definitions; and 3) explanations and examples. The Lexicon is being
extended, completed and improved with all three phases being addressed
simultaneously for some terms. If you would have any comments, suggestions
or additions, please email to [email protected].
Five years after the first
international WSP meeting in Berlin, IWA, WHO and Portugal are pleased to
provide the international water community with an opportunity to come
together and exchange knowledge and experiences of preventive risk based
approaches to managing drinking water supplies.
Singapore International Water Week
23-27 June 2008
As part of WHO/Singapore
collaboration on water safety issues, Singapore will host the Guidelines for
Drinking Water Quality annual meeting of experts. Back-to-back with this it
will convene an International Water Week, a global platform aiming to
address challenges, showcase technologies, discover opportunities and
celebrate achievements in the water world.
Speaking at an event to mark World Water Day at
the Palais des Nations, Geneva this morning, Director-General Dr Margaret
Chan said "Sanitation is a fundamental stepping stone for better health. Let
me go straight to the point. An estimated 40% of the world’s population
lives without one of the basic amenities of modern life: a toilet. This
means that 2.6 billion people are forced to relieve themselves in open
spaces – in fields, forests, bushes, water bodies, or a patch of mud. This
is a degrading way of life, and this is a form of environmental degradation
with direct and dramatic consequences for health".
The event was also attended by UN Agency
representatives and His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of the
Netherlands. The Prince has been active in the field of water and
sanitation, in the Netherlands and elsewhere, since 1998, and is currently
the chair of the United Nations Secretary General's Advisory Board on Water
and Sanitation. The Board was set up in 2004 by Kofi Annan to advise on
practical measures that could be taken to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals for water and sanitation. He said, "Good health is the basis of human
life. It is the basis we need to live our lives in dignity. And we need a
healthy body and environment to be able to develop.......If we invest in
clean water and sanitation we invest in people and their social and economic
development. Sanitation is about health, dignity and development."
The joint WHO-UNICEF Press Release to mark World
Water Day 2008 and full text of speeches are available in
Lack of sanitation is a serious health risk and an
affront to human dignity. It affects billions of people around the world,
particularly the poor and disadvantaged.
In the wake of disasters and in every day life, public
health interventions that secure adequate sanitation in communities prevent
the spread of disease and save lives. They raise the quality of life for
many, particularly women and children who are often in charge of domestic
tasks, and can face personal risks when they relieve themselves in the open.
Sanitation is a basic need and a way to ensure better
health. The United Nations declared 2008 as the International Year of
Sanitation to make it a priority for governments, organizations, civil
society and private partners worldwide. Since its inception, WHO has defined
sanitation as vital to global health. Today, the Organization continues to
help Member States improve sanitation status, respond to sanitation needs
during emergencies and increase policies and actions that expand access to
this basic service.
World Water Day 2008 provides
an opportunity to draw attention to the International Year of Sanitation
2008; a year in which the United Nations General Assembly in December 2006
has called for a focus on addressing sanitation and hygiene problems. About
2.6 billion people around the world live without access to even a toilet at
home.
The International Year of
Sanitation highlights 5 key messages:
Special issue for Water World Day
event in Geneva.
The World Health Organization,
together with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Water Supply
and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), is organising the central
celebration of World Water Day 2008 with the theme “Sanitation Matters” on
20 March 2008 at Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. World Water Day,
is a unique opportunity to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major
importance to global health and development that affects the poor, women,
children and the disadvantaged.
Main activities during the day
include a press conference, key messages for World Water Day and a media-
attractive event of demonstrating lack of access to a toilet facility. Key
messages will be delivered by Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO,
His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Mr. Philip
O'Brien, Regional Director of UNICEF in Geneva, Mr. Jon Lane, Executive
Director of WSSCC and Mr. Remo Gautschi, Deputy Director -General of Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation.
6 March, 2008
New Publication:
Essential Environmental Health
Standards in Health Care
This document provides guidance on
essential environmental health standards required for health care in medium
and low-resource countries and support the development and implementation of
national policies and also recommends measures for minimizing the
risk of health care-associated diseases for patients, staff and carers.
These guidelines have been written for use by health
managers and planners, architects, urban planners, water and sanitation
staff, clinical and nursing staff, carers and other health-care providers,
and health promoters.
In 2008 WHO will publish “Valuing
water – valuing well-being: a guide to understanding the costs and benefits
of water interventions.” The final manuscript is now available for review by
professionals in the water sector, by public health professionals and by
health economists.
At this stage WHO is inviting
reviewers to provide comments, observations and suggestions either on the
entire manuscript or on the individual chapters.
For more information, and for access
to the manuscript, please go to the web site address:
World Water Day 2008 will be
celebrated by the UN on Thursday, 20 March. In 2008 the day will highlight
issues on sanitation in accordance with the International Year of Sanitation
2008. People around the world are encouraged to celebrate the day to draw
attention to the world’s sanitation challenge.
Drinking water microbiological
survey of the Northwestern State of Sinaloa, Mexico Cristobal Chaidez,
Marcela Soto, Celida Martinez and Bruce Keswick.......... 125-129
An evaluation of the mobility of
pathogen indicators, Escherichia coli and bacteriophage MS-2, in a highly
weathered tropical soil under unsaturated conditions Tiow-Ping Wong,
Chittaranjan Ray, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli and Bunnie Yoneyama..........
131-140
Assessing the costs and impacts of different technical and policy actions
provides a critical input to decision taking and policy making.
WHO has
developed and applied methods to apply such analysis to water sanitation and
hygiene interventions and has worked with global and regional partners to
undertake and publish studies. A major area of work is to adapt these
methods so that they are appropriate for use at national and project
scales.
Global costs of attaining the Millennium
Development Goal for water supply and sanitation
Target
10 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to “halve by 2015 the
proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and
basic sanitation”. Because of its impacts on a range of diseases, it is a
health-related MDG target. This study presents cost estimates of attaining
MDG target 10.
Assessment of a low-cost,
point-of-use, ultraviolet water disinfection technology
Sarah A. Brownell, Alicia
R. Chakrabarti, Forest M. Kaser, Fermin Reygadas, Micah J. Lang, Lloyd G.
Connelly, Rachel L. Peletz, Daniel M. Kammen and Kara L. Nelson..........
53-65
During World Water Week 2008
(Stockholm, 17-23 August) one of the scheduled workshops is Preventive
Action for Human Health
With water and sanitation at
the core of the public health concept of prevention, four areas will be
critically reviewed and discussed: evidence for policy, policy/legislative
frameworks for normative action, water and sanitation within health systems
and capacity for intersectoral action.
The deadline for submission of abstracts is 1 February 2008! More
information can be found on.
22 January, 2008
Request for proposals - Integrating household water treatment and indoor
air pollution interventions
WHO is planning to fund
two pilot projects in the range of US$ 30,000-60,000 to encourage thinking
about, and implementation of, innovative approaches for integrating
household water treatment and indoor air quality interventions in
sub-Saharan Africa. Please note that we are placing the emphasis on testing
a hypothesis (i.e. added value of joining up interventions) rather than on
achieving health impacts on a large scale.
Deadline for receipt of
proposals is 15 February 2008
In this month's World
Health Organization Bulletin (Volume 86, Number 1, January 2008, 1-80),
Jamie Bartram examines why the health sector relies on water safety; Guy
Hutton and Jamie Bartram calculate the cost of Millennium Development Goal
(target 10) on water supply and sanitation; and, in this month’s interview,
Mahmuder Rahman asks why Bangladesh’s drinking-water is still contaminated
with arsenic.
Water and Sanitation
publication highlighted on the WHO corporate pages
This book (published 2007)
provides guidance on the chemical safety of drinking-water. It aims to help
users at national or local level to establish which chemicals in a specific
context should be given priority while developing strategies for risk
management and monitoring of chemicals in drinking-water. It will be useful
for public health authorities, those responsible for setting standards and
for surveillance of drinking-water quality, and water supply agencies
responsible for water quality management.
WHO has collaborated with key partners on international development
efforts to raise the profile of sanitation, such as the International
Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD) (1980-1990) and the
Johannesburg World Summit for Sustainable Development (2002). In
Johannesburg, the MDG target on sanitation was set to halve the proportion
of people who do not have access to basic sanitation by 2015.
In response to several
requests, the Request for Proposals (RfP) for identifying and mapping
information and data requirements for implementing and assessing drinking
water programs has been re-opened. Those that have already submitted bids
are welcome to submit revised versions of their bids. Individual(s) that
are qualified professionals with expertise in the strategies and/or
practices for the collection and dissemination of information in support of
water management must contribute to the work
Five years after the first
international WSP meeting in Berlin, IWA, WHO and IRAR (Portuguese water
regulator) are pleased to provide the international water community with an
opportunity to come together and exchange knowledge and experiences of
preventive risk based approaches to managing drinking water supplies.
