RWSN Themes

Water Quality and Safety

Global progress on drinking water is tracked by the JMP, and the headline acceptable service levels are:

  • Safely Managed: Drinking water from an improved source that is accessible on premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.
  • Basic: Drinking water from an improved source, provided collection time is not more than 30 minutes for a round trip, including queuing.

In the past, RWSN has focused on water quantity because the cost and complexity of water quality monitoring and small-scale water treatment is often prohibitive. We have advised that water safety should be based on selecting ‘safe’ (or at least protected) water sources, such as boreholes, covered wells, protected springs and rainwater harvesting. The definition of ‘safely managed’ has challenged this and there has been growing interest in setting the bar higher, both in terms of extending piped water coverage and having treatment at the collection point and/or point of use. However, practical difficulties remain, and destabilising climate, economic and political conditions in many rural areas is making the SDG6.1/Human Right to Water goal harder than ever.

The initial goal of the Action Group (which may evolve into a Theme) is to convene members so that they can achieve more together than separately.

Initial Priorities:

  • Uptake and use of the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality: Small Water Systems (2024) and associated tools, collaborating with the International Network of Drinking-water and Sanitation Regulators (RegNet)
  • Cost-effective water quality testing, monitoring and action (linked to the Data for Action Theme).
  • Risk management, including Water Safety Planning (WSPs) and Sanitary Inspections for small and rural water systems.
  • Catchment protection and pollution prevention (linked to the Sustainable Groundwater Development Theme).
  • Water treatment and safe storage (in partnership with the Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage Network).
  • Training standards and competency frameworks for water quality monitoring, water safety management and water treatment roles.

Key Resources and Groups