Abstract
This study investigated the effectiveness of Water Safety Plans (WSP) implemented in 99 water supply systems across 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. An impact assessment methodology including 36 indicators was developed based on a conceptual framework proposed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and before/after data were collected between November 2014 and June 2016. WSPs were associated with infrastructure improvements at the vast majority (82) of participating sites and to increased financial support at 37 sites. In addition, significant changes were observed in operations and management practices, number of water safety-related meetings, unaccounted-for water, water quality testing activities, and monitoring of consumer satisfaction. However, the study also revealed challenges in the implementation of WSPs, including financial constraints and insufficient capacity. Finally, this study provided an opportunity to test the impact assessment methodology itself, and a series of recommendations are made to improve the approach (indicators, study design, data collection methods) for evaluating WSPs.
Highlights
Diarrheal diseases resulting from inadequate drinking water are estimated to cause 502,000 deaths per year [1]
This impact assessment was undertaken through the Water Quality Partnership for Health (WQP), a program launched in 2005 by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and World Health Organization (WHO) to introduce and institutionalize Water Safety Plans (WSP) in the Asia-Pacific region
This study, which was the first to use a comprehensive impact assessment framework to assess the effectiveness of WSPs across multiple countries and regions, identified a number of challenges relating to performance indicators, data collection, and the broader approach to WSP impact assessments
Summary
Diarrheal diseases resulting from inadequate drinking water are estimated to cause 502,000 deaths per year [1]. Monitoring and maintaining water safety in piped systems and point sources around the world is challenging [2,3,4]. Safety Plans (WSPs) as a preferred management approach for ensuring the safety of drinking water supply [5]. WSPs provide a comprehensive methodology to assess and mitigate risks in all steps of the water supply system from catchment to consumer. The approach includes the formation of a dedicated WSP team; a system assessment phase during which risks, existing control measures, and gaps are identified to inform the development and implementation of an improvement plan; routine monitoring and evaluation; and periodic review of the entire process (Figure S1)
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