The Water Research Commission (WRC) has produced a generic Water Safety Plan (WSP) manual [1] to help meet the water quality requirements of people in South Africa.

There has been exponential growth of small treatment plants situated in rural areas with limited technical support. “Management of these water supply systems has been very difficult and water service authorities have to rely on limited resources to ensure that the water supply meets the minimum standards in terms of quantity and quality” says Dr Jo Burgess, research manager at the Water Research Commission (WRC).

According to Dr Jo Burgess, water safety plans (WSPs) aim to improve water quality assurance through a multi-barrier concept. “With the use of WSPs the determination of whether the drinking water supply chain as a whole can deliver water of a quality that meets health-based targets will be achieved’ says Jo Burgess.

Measures of operational monitoring, that ensure that deviation from the required performance is rapidly detected in a timely manner have been included. They aim to provide guidance on both day-to-day actions and long term planning, collectively ensure the provision of safe water, and aid system managers and operators in gaining a better understanding of the water supply system and the risks that need to be managed.

[1] To obtain copies of the WSP manual, report number TT415/09, send a request to orders@wrc.org.za

Related web site: WHO – Water Safety Plans

Contact: Dr Jo Burgess (Research Manager KSA 3), WRC, South Africa, Tel: 012 330 9039, e-mail: job@wrc.org.za

Source: Jo Burgess, WRC, 28 Sep 2009

Tags: africa, water quality, water treatment