Colette Robertson-Kellie-Water Safety Plans

Water Safety Plans

in

Scotland and Malawi

Dr Colette Robertson-Kellie

Regulation Manager

Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland

Aaron Mapsere

Ministry for Irrigation and Water Development, Malawi

Introduction to Water Safety Plans

• World Health Organisation:

“The most effective means of consistently

ensuring the safety of a drinking-water supply is

through the use of a comprehensive risk

assessment and risk management approach

that encompasses all steps in water supply from

catchment to consumer.”

Traditionally….

• Samples taken to determine whether

supply safe

– Relevant to specific point in time

• Consumers report aesthetic changes to

supply

• Outbreaks of illness linked to drinking

water

– Reported incidents are probably tip of iceberg!

• A proactive risk management strategy which:

• Identifies risks in a water supply system from

catchment to consumer

• Prioritises risks

• Mitigates risks through control measures

• Minimises risks to a supply

What is a Water Safety Plan?

Consumer

system

Distribution

system

Water resources

& sources Treatment

System Assessment

Management &

Communications

System

Assessment Monitoring

WSP components

•System Assessment •A detailed risk assessment

•From water source to consumers’ taps

•Determines whether the water supply chain can deliver water of a sufficient

quality and quantity

•Monitoring •Monitoring of the control measures in the supply chain that are of particular

importance in securing water safety

•Management and Communication •Management plans describing the actions to be undertaken from normal

conditions to extreme events

Prioritisation of Risks

• The WSP will highlight a number of risks

• The Hazard Assessment Matrix can be used to prioritise risks and control measures – gives a numerical rating

– prioritises tasks

Advantages of WSP

• Help prevent waterborne disease

• Deliver real and lasting health benefits

• Work in resource limited settings

• Save money in the long-term – Help target resources and investment in a structured

manner

– Help identify and prevent potential hazards and hazardous events

– Help minimise incidents

• Are internationally recognised and promoted by WHO

Cost of WSP

• Do not have to be costly

• Do what can be done within existing

resources

• May provide a lever to obtain additional

resources

• WSP can optimise existing resources

Scotland and Malawi Working

Together • Aaron Mapsere awarded Commonwealth

Professional fellowship to visit Scotland in 2008

• 10 week fellowship

• Main aims

– To work with Drinking Water Quality Regulator • Regulates water quality duties of Scottish Water

• Supervises water quality duties of local authorities

– To study Scottish drinking water risk assessment

model

– To implement risk assessment model in Malawi

Aaron’s Work in Scotland

• Series of visits to inspect water supplies in

Scotland

• Gain practical experience of Water Safety

Plans

– Large urban public supplies

– Remote public supplies

– Private / Community run water supplies

Drinking Water in Scotland

Public Water Supply

or

Private Water Supply

Public water supplies in Scotland

• 97% of population

• 263 Water Treatment Works

• Managed by Scottish Water

– Publicly owned

• Public supply of high quality

– 2010 – 99.83% of regulatory samples passed

standards

Example of Public Supply

Private Water Supplies in Scotland

• 3% of population

• Over 19,000 private water supplies

• Responsibility of owners and users of supplies

• Water Quality regulated by local authorities

• Generally small rural supplies

• Private water supplies of variable quality

– 2010 – 91.95% of regulatory samples passed

standards

Example of PWS

Small Community Water Supplies

The Challenges • Located in rural and/or remote areas;

• Limited funding;

• Higher per capita costs;

• Difficult to recruit and train operators;

• Unclear roles and responsibilities;

• Perception of risks not clear

• Supplies not always understood

More frequently associated with waterborne disease in both developed & developing countries

Malawi’s Water Supplies

• Approx 85% of population rural and peri-

urban

• Majority have inadequate access to safe

water

Scotland’s

experience of

Water Safety Plans

WSP - Public Supplies

• WSP developed and managed by Scottish Water

• Site visits held to fully understand and document the system and risks

• ‘Workshops’ held – To compile information on supplies

– All appropriate staff involved with the supply attend

– WSP ownership identified

• All public supplies required to have WSP

• DWQR monitors effectiveness

• To work effectively must be a living document

Private Water Supply

Risk Assessments

• Legislation requires risk assessments of – larger supplies

– those with commercial or public activity

• Owners or users of other supplies can request risk assessments

• Carried out by local authorities

• Technical manual and website for guidance by Scottish Government

• Identify hazards, and helps to reduce risk

• Adequate for small simple supplies

Private water supply

Water Safety Plans

• Water Safety Plans now being developed

– Risk assessment and risk management

– Larger, more complex or problematic supplies

DWQR’s Activities

• Active member of World Health Organisation’s

International Small Community Water Supply Network – Aim: to promote the achievement of substantive and sustainable

improvements to the safety of small community water supplies around the world, particularly in rural areas

– Hosted meeting in Edinburgh 2007

– Contributes to best practice materials

– Feeds examples of implementation into network

– Shares practical experiences

– Supports implementation of Risk Assessments/WSP in developing countries

– Learns from other countries

– Inspired by other countries

• Invited Member of UN-ECE / WHO Protocol Expert Group

– Water and Health’s Work Programme 2011-2013

– Small Scale Water Supplies: • Development of a policy and guidance document

• Improvement of the evidence base on the current status of small scale water supplies

• Water safety plans

• Networking and sharing of experience

• Invited Member of European Commission

Peer Group

– Best Practices Guidance Document on a risk

assessment for small water supplies

Scotland and Malawi

Working Together • Attended 2nd All Africa Environmental Health

Congress in May 2010

– Scotland, Malawi and Uganda hosted session on

Water Safety Plans

• Visited drinking water systems

– Reservoir

– Treatment works

– Distribution systems

• Better understood application of WSP in Malawi

Reservoir

Water Treatment Works

A Village Tap

Village Borewell

Rural Village

The Future - Ongoing Collaboration

Scotland to Malawi

• Provision of templates for WSP

• Provision of information

• Ongoing technical support

Malawi to Scotland

• Feeding back of experiences in implementing

WSP

• Feeding back ideas and improvements to

continually improve Scottish WSP model

Thanks for Listening!