Accomplishment of water safety plan using quality assurance tool in 2020-2021: A case study in a western city of Gilan province, Iran

Background: Water safety plan is a systematic approach to ensure the quality of water delivered to consumers from catchment to consumption. Methods: This study was conducted on the groundwater system of Talesh, Gilan, in 2020-2021. A Water Safety Plan (WSP) consists of 5 phases and 12 steps. In the implementation of this plan, all modules were reviewed. Software checklists were prepared and based on the background information in Talesh Water and Wastewater Company, interviews with experts and field visits were performed, and then, entered into WSP QA TOOL software. Results: Out of 440 raw scores, 222 points were obtained, indicating 50.45% compliance with WSP. The description system with the highest score (100%) and the management procedures with the lowest score (50%) were in line with this plan. The stages of development and supporting program and review of WSP cannot be evaluated due to the incomplete implementation of water safety plan in Talesh. Between different parts of the water supply system, more attention has been paid to production sources and points of use. Conclusion: This study identifies the inefficiency in dependence on the final tests and the necessary items in updating the supply system of Talesh. According to the study of the different stages of WSP, the system has a moderate level of safety.

Water Supply System Description and Risk Assessment in Brikama Water Treatment Plant System, West Coast Region, Gambia: WHO Water Safety Plan Based Approach

Background: Better water quality, improved sanitation and sound water resource management will improve public health and economic development in low-income countries. Water safety plan-based risk assessment and risk management from catchment to consumers are the modern and efficient approaches to safe drinking water supply established by World Health Organization. Thus, this paper aimed to assess risk from catchment level to consumers in the community of Brikama. Methods: This study report assessments of risk or hazards from catchment to consumers in Brikama Water Treatment Plant (BWTP), West Coast Region, The Gambia. The various means of data collection used include water quality monitoring, visual field inspection and questionnaire survey to explore data on where the water supply system goes wrong from catchment to consumers, so as to provide an improvement plan. Results: Overall, the day-to-day administration of services at BWTP was very impressive. The fencing of all the 17 boreholes at catchment sites has drastically reduced the risk of contamination including treatment systems and distribution lines. There are less risks observed and constant monitoring of the system was ensured. However, at the consumer end, there are some risks with poor practices associated with water handling, storage and hygiene measures at the household level. Some still use some unclean 20-liter containers to store water and indiscriminately kept drinking cups on the floor and unclean surfaces, and 50% lacked WASH knowledge related to water treatment, such as boiling and filtration at households. The overall perception of water storage, sanitation and hygiene practices could be rated moderately good. Conclusion: The overall findings of this study have shown tremendous achievement in the government's commitment to providing potable water to the people in Brikama Local Government Area. WASH education in the study area is recommended to avoid waterborne disease infections.

Study of Long-Term Effectiveness of Water Safety Plan Applied to Microfiltered Water Dispensers to Improve Water Quality

The use of Microfiltered Water Dispensers (MWDs) is increasing in offices, companies, or commercial facilities, as a response to plastic pollution. Despite their widespread use, poor data are available about the water quality and pathogens developed. Starting from a high contamination found in MWDs, a Water Safety Plan (WSP) was implemented on 57 MWDs to improve the water quality. To assess the effectiveness of WSP during the period 2017–2021, the environmental monitoring of heterotrophic plate counts (HPCs) at 36 °C and 22 °C, Enterococcus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium perfringens, as prescribed by Italian regulation for drinking water, was conducted. A high level of HPCs at both temperatures was observed, over the regulation limit; contrarily, the pathogenic bacteria were absent. The contamination found was studied with respect to the temperature threshold of 25 °C, suggested by directives. No significant differences were found between samples above and below the threshold, while a significant decrease over the years was observed for HPCs at 36 °C (p = 0.0000000001) and 22 °C (p = 0.000006). The WSP implementation resulted in a 43.09% decrease for HPCs at 36 °C and a 24.26% decrease for HPCs at 22 °C. Moreover, during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the WSP contributed to limit the microbial contamination, preserving the MWDs’ functionality and hygienic conditions and the drinking water quality.

Application of the Water–Energy–Food Nexus Approach to the Climate-Resilient Water Safety Plan of Leh Town, India

Climate-resilient water safety plans (CR-WSPs) have been developed as a risk-based approach to ensure a safe drinking-water supply while addressing the increasing stress on water resources resulting from climate change. Current examples of the application of CR-WSPs show a strong sectoral approach that fails to explore the potential synergies between other climate-sensitive sectors related to water, such as food and energy. This can increase the vulnerability or decrease the overall resilience of urban systems when planning climate change adaptation measures. In this work, the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus approach was applied in the formulation of a CR-WSP in Leh Town, India, a city with rapid development and population growth located in the Himalayas—one of the most sensitive ecosystems to climate change. The WEF Nexus approach was applied in the system description using a critical infrastructure approach and in the formulation of scenarios for risk management which exploited intersectoral synergies through water reclamation with resource recovery using constructed wetlands. The improvements in WEF security and risk reduction were demonstrated through indicators and risk mapping with geographical information systems (GISs). The methods for integrating the WEF Nexus approach in CR-WSPs provided through this work can serve as a base for a trans-sectoral, resilient approach within risk-based approaches for water security.

The Water Safety Plan Pursuant to Ministerial Decree 14.06.2017: Application to Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital of Rome

The paper illustrates the design and drafting of the Water Safety Plan (WSP) of a health facility, particularly with regard to water intended for human consumption. The components already present in the water and sanitary system as well as the control measures already provided, are described and critically discussed. Following the hazards identification and risk assessment related to the plant, some corrective measures and actions that have been proposed and implemented, are discussed.

Experience of Implementing Water Safety Plan in Iran: A Systematic Review

Introduction: The water safety plan is a systematic approach that aims to ensure the quality of water distributed to consumers. In 2004, the World Health Organization issued a statement implementing the water safety plan. The plan is underway in Iran. The purpose of this study is to review the studies conducted from 2004 to 2020. Materials and Methods: Present article is a systematic review study to search for keywords in a combination of "water safety plan" (WSP), "Iran", "Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points", (HACCP) and "water" in international databases including: PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, as well as national databases include: Magiran and SID. Results: In the initial search, 671 articles were found that after screening based on the Prisma checklist, 15 articles were included in the study for further review. The results showed that in the implementation of WSP, the highest score is related to Qom city with 68.64% and the lowest value is related to Khoy city with 17.5%. Improvement and upgrade program, support program development, and review of WSP courses have received less attention. Low staff familiarity with WSP, insufficient team composition and lack of coordination between them in holding regular meetings can be the reason for poor implementation of WSP in Iran. Conclusion: The full implementation of the water safety plan controls the risks in the water supply system and reduces costs, as well as improves and increases the quality of water distributed to consumers.

The Water Safety Plan Approach: Application to Small Drinking-Water Systems—Case Studies in Salento (South Italy)

Background: The quality of water for human consumption is an objective of fundamental importance for the defense of public health. Since the management of networks involves many problems of control and efficiency of distribution, the Water Safety Plan (WSP) was introduced to address these growing problems. Methods: WSP was applied to three companies in which the water resource assumes central importance: five water kiosks, a third-range vegetable processing company, and a residence and care institution. In drafting the plan, the terms and procedures designed and tested for the management of urban distribution systems were applied to safeguard the resource over time. Results: The case studies demonstrated the reliability of the application of the model even to small drinking-water systems, even though it involved a greater effort in analyzing the incoming water, the local intended use, and the possibilities for managing the containment of the dangers to which it is exposed. This approach demonstrates concrete effectiveness in identifying and mitigating the dangers of altering the quality of water. Conclusions: Thanks to the WSP applied to small drinking-water systems, we can move from management that is focused mainly on verifying the conformity of the finished product to the creation of a global risk assessment and management system that covers the entire water supply chain.