Rural Water Supply in India Policy Issues and ... Water Supply in India. ... Awareness Training Management of Water Supply Systems ... DASCOH Development Association for Self-reliance,

November 2010

Report

The Water and Sanitation Program (www.wsp.org)is a multi-donor partnership administered by theWorld Bank to support poor people in obtainingaffordable, safe, and sustainable access to waterand sanitation services

Policy Issues andInstitutional Arrangements

Water Safety Plans forRural Water Supply in India

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Policy Issues andInstitutional Arrangements

Water Safety Plans forRural Water Supply in India

Water Safety Plans forRural Water Supply in India:Policy Issues andInstitutional Arrangements

Executive Summary 5

Introduction 6

Modern Approaches to Water Quality Management

What is a Drinking Water Safety Plan?

Background to this Report 8

Previous Work and Justification for this Study

Objectives of the Study

Key Policy Issues 9

Adopting Drinking Water Safety Plans

Establishing Roles And Responsibilities

Water Safety Plans as a Basis for Investment

Setting Performance Targets toReflect Health Objectives

Policies on Interventions

Functions to Support Drinking 13Water Safety Planning

Policy and Standards

Establishing a Program

Reporting and Audit

District Planning Coordination

Baseline Surveys for Water Quality

Training

Awareness Training

Management of Water Supply Systems

Preparing a Water Safety Plan

Preparing an Operating Plan

Checking the Operation ofDrinking Water Safety Plans

Verification of Drinking Water Quality

ContentsAssigning Roles and Responsibilities 18

Available Knowledge and Experience 19

A Suggested Approach to 20Demonstration and Implementation

A Pilot Demonstration in [xxx]Gram Panchayats in [xxx] Districts

Water Safety Plans andService Improvement Plans

Outputs from the Study

Annex 1: Development of 22Drinking Water Safety Plans

Annex 2: List of Planning Templates 25

Annex 3: Water Safety Plan 26Sample Template

List of Figures

Figure 1: The Bonn Charter Framework 6

Figure 2: WHO Framework for 7Safe Drinking Water

Figure 3: Inverse Pyramid of Support 9

Figure 4: Functions to Support Drinking 13Water Safety Planning

List of Tables

Table 1: Functions and Which 18Organizations might Handle them in India

Table A1: WHO Suggested Risk Scoring 23

Table A2: Table for Recording 24Risk Assessment Information

Table A3: Record of Action Limits, Monitoring, 24and Corrective Actions

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AFPRO Action For Food Production

ASHA Accredited Social Health Activist

BRC Block Resource Center

CBO community-based organization

CLTS Community Led Total Sanitation

DASCOH Development Association for Self-reliance, Communication, and Health

DDWS Department of Drinking Water Supply

DESME Department of Economics, Statistics, Monitoring, and Evaluation

DWSM District Water and Sanitation Mission

DWSP Drinking Water Safety Plan

ERRA Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority

GIS geographic information system

GP Gram Panchayat

H2S hydrogen sulphide

HACCP Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point

IEC Information, Education, and Communication

IRSP Integrated Rural Support Program

ITN International Training Network

IWA International Water Association

KP Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa

NGO nongovernmental organization

NRDWP National Rural Drinking Water Program

NRHM National Rural Health Mission

O&M operations and maintenance

PIEDAR Pakistan Institute for Environment—Development Action Research

PURC Public Utilities Regulatory Commission

RMDD Rural Management and Development Department

SHG self help group

SIRD State Institute of Rural Development

SO support organizations

TSC Total Sanitation Campaign

VERC Village Education Resource Center

VWSC Village Water and Sanitation Committee

WHO World Health Organization

WSP Water and Sanitation Program

Abbreviations and Acronyms


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This report outlines the key principles ofwater safety planning for rural watersupply in India. Water safety planningrepresents a change of emphasis fromend-of-pipe testing to the managementof risks of contamination from source tomouth. End-of-pipe testing is stillnecessary to verify that safe drinkingwater is being delivered.

The focus of the report is on the policyissues concerning the adoption of watersafety planning and the institutionalarrangements (roles and responsibilities)needed to operationalize the approach.Recommendations are provided ondemonstrating and implementing theapproach to establish a full program.

Key points are:

� The main policy matter is theadoption of the drinking Water SafetyPlan approach for rural supplies—this is strongly recommended; and

� There are four other policy matterswhich emerge from that decision:

� How to establish rolesand responsibilities;

� Whether to use Water SafetyPlan improvement programsas the basis for planningand investment;

� How to set performance targetsto reflect health objectives; and

� How to decide on interventionsto reduce risk.

There are various benefits thatarise from the adoption of WaterSafety Plans:

Executive Summary

� Better management of drinking waterquality by preventing contaminationbefore it happens;

� Improved operations andmaintenance (O&M) through adoptionof control measures identified duringthe risk assessment;

� Emphasis on customer serviceimprovements linked to improvedpublic health, with improvedinfrastructure as a means to thatend; and

� Water Safety Plans are based on fieldsurveys (or sanitary surveys) thatdirectly link water supply, hygiene,and sanitation, for example, inaddressing issues such as opendefecation, solid and liquid waste, andsafe household storage and handling.

A Planning Coordination function iscritical when moving from pilotdemonstrations in a few villages to a fullprogram. The Planning Coordinationfunction is needed to interpret policy onservice standards and cost recovery, toreview village plans including their

improvement programs, to makeinvestment decisions with prioritiesbased on local needs, to advise ontariffs and subsidies, and to monitorimplementation and performance.

There is a need for well targeted field-based training programs, includingtraining of trainers (facilitators) whowould train technical and operationalstaff at the village level, as well asorientation and training for higher levelsupport functions. Training materialscan be prepared and tested duringpilot demonstrations, withparticipation and ownership byestablished training institutions ornongovernmental organizations(NGOs) or other supportorganizations (SOs).

The recommended approach toimplementation of the institutionalarrangements is a combination ofdemonstration pilots within selectedvillages, together with advocacy andactivity mapping workshops at thedistrict and state levels, andworkshops to train the trainers.

Modern Approaches toWater Quality Management

The approach described in thisreport to achieve safe drinking waterquality in rural areas is based oninitial work carried out in India, but isrelevant to rural water supply in otherregions. The approach is based ondrinking Water Safety Plans, and howthe institutional arrangements (rolesand responsibilities) needed tooperationalize the approach mightbe established within existinginstitutional frameworks.

The emphasis on means of achievingsafe drinking water has changed.Internationally, in the past, there hadbeen a trend toward adding moreand more parameters to standardswith an associated requirement forsampling and analysis. This is anapproach which is still found in manycountries, including India.

This approach is unlikely to increaseprotection of the public because,if there are immediate impacts onhealth from contamination ofdrinking water, people will havealready become sick before theanalysis is carried out and beforeremedial action can be taken. Incountries such as India, this isparticularly true in rural areas whereoften there are no competentlaboratories in the vicinity, or theprotocols for water quality testingare not well established.

In the past decade, two workshopsinvolving key people concerned withdrinking water quality were held inBonn in Germany, one in October 2001and the other in February 2004, to seeka better way of achieving safe drinkingwater. The direct output was the BonnCharter1 and indirectly the revisedWorld Health Organization (WHO)Drinking Water Guidelines.2 Theapproach is encapsulated by the BonnCharter structure given in Figure 1.

The key principle is to consider theentire supply chain from source tomouth, and to take a risk managementapproach through the development of

drinking Water Safety Plans. Suchplans establish the key operationalcontrols at each stage in the supplychain. There is reference to‘verification’ and this is done bysampling and testing, which is stillimportant but is not seen as theprimary means of monitoring andcontrol. The Bonn Charter emphasizesthe need for clarity of roles andresponsibilities, for transparency, andfor sharing of information. The goal is‘good safe water which has the trust ofconsumers.’ This same approach isreflected in the WHO Guidelines, whichare summarized in Figure 2, and whichinclude health-based targets.

Introduction

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Source: The Bonn Charter for Safe Drinking Water. IWA. September, 2004.

Figure 1: The Bonn Charter framework

1 The Bonn Charter, International Water Association,www.iwahq.org.uk2 Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality 2006, World HealthOrganization, Geneva. http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/gdwq3/en/


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What is a DrinkingWater Safety Plan?

A full description of the process ofdeveloping a drinking Water SafetyPlan is given in Annex 1. In essence itinvolves the following steps:

� Define the supply system andform a team from those peopleresponsible for each part of thesupply chain from sourceto mouth;

� Consider all potential hazards andestablish which ones constitutea significant risk to drinkingwater quality;

� Consider how each of these risksis controlled and whether thecontrols are adequate;

� As necessary, prepare animprovement program based onthe inadequacy of controls andimplement any aspects which canbe put in place immediately;

� For each existing control set anaction level, that is, a level atwhich there is concern that thecontrol is failing and that someother action needs to be taken toprotect public health; and

� Identify the monitoring of eachcontrol: who is responsible and atwhat frequency—the what,who, and when.

Two further steps are required whichneed a higher competence ofoperational management, and in ruralIndia would require specific training ortechnical support:

Figure 2: WHO framework for safe drinking water

Source: Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality. Third Edition. WHO. 2004.

� Define what needs to be doneimmediately if an action limit isbreached; and

� Define how it can be verified thatthe reaction to a loss of a controlhas been successful.

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Previous Work and Justificationfor this Study

In line with this evolving response towater quality management, variousagencies have been or are currentlypiloting the development of WaterSafety Plans in the South Asia region:

� In India, this includes UNICEF,WaterAid, and Action For FoodProduction (AFPRO) in rural areas,and WHO in urban centers;

� In Bangladesh, the VillageEducation Resource Center(VERC), WaterAid, and theDevelopment Association forSelf-reliance, Communication, andHealth (DASCOH), are working inrural areas, and WHO is working inurban centers; and

� In Pakistan, the Pakistan Institutefor Environment—DevelopmentAction Research (PIEDAR) and

Integrated Rural Support Program(IRSP) are working in rural areas inPunjab and Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa(KP), and the EarthquakeReconstruction and RehabilitationAuthority (ERRA) and UNICEFare supporting water qualitymanagement in emergencies anddisasters (inclusive of water safetyplanning) in a number of areas suchas Northern Areas and KP.

Generic Water Safety Plans for themost basic rural water supply systems,namely dug wells, tubewells, rainwaterharvesting, and pond sand filters, havebeen developed by the InternationalTraining Network (ITN) Center inBangladesh. To complement thisexisting body of work, the work carriedout by the Water and SanitationProgram (WSP), which is presented inthis report, has focused primarily onrural piped schemes, ranging from

simple gravity-fed schemes for a groupof houses to bulk supply for multivillageschemes. In India today, there isincreasing demand for piped watersupply as a result of both waterscarcity and depletion of groundwater,and demand for higher levelsof service.

Work on Water Safety Plans carried outto date has been valuable in helping toset out what Water Safety Plans shouldlook like at the scale of a single watersupply system. The broader,institutional level, the assignment ofroles and responsibilities for waterquality management, the developmentof appropriate institutional incentivesfor stakeholders to undertake theirassigned roles, and the critical role ofindividual and collective behaviorchange are addressed in this report.

Objectives of the Study

There are three objectives:

� To consider policies for the deliveryof safe drinking water quality inrural areas;

� To provide a framework in which thevarious functions associated with achange of emphasis towardsmanaging risks to the safety ofdrinking water can be incorporatedinto existing institutional frame-works, in particular building on theinitiatives already taken in India toimprove monitoring and surveillanceof drinking water quality; and

� To suggest an approach todemonstrate and implement sucha framework.

Background to this Report


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The most important policy issuerelates to the adoption of drinkingWater Safety Plans as the basis formanaging drinking water quality.This is discussed first; there are thenfour other policy issues which emergefrom adopting such a framework,the key one being roles andresponsibilities which is the maincontent of this report.

Adopting Drinking WaterSafety Plans

Although sampling and analysis isimportant to verify the quality ofdrinking water, it is not an effectivemeans of control especially for ruralsupplies. In India, the Department ofDrinking Water Supply (DDWS) hastaken steps to establish and equipdistrict and sub-divisional water testinglaboratories. Nevertheless, collectingsamples in rural locations takes timeand microbiological tests involve theslow process of ‘growing’ organismson a suitable medium. Therefore,during the time period betweensampling and reporting results, which inrural areas could be as long as amonth, unsafe water could have beenconsumed. The emphasis should,therefore, be on good operationalmanagement with controls based onrisk assessment from source to mouth.This involves the establishment ofdrinking Water Safety Plans andassociated support being given to localservice providers for their development,operation, audit, and verification.

Establishing Rolesand Responsibilities

With the responsibility for servicedelivery resting with the village GramPanchayats (GPs) together with VillageWater and Sanitation Committees(VWSCs), they should be seen as thepivotal organizations with the ‘higher’levels of government, line departments,and training institutions providingsupport. This can be illustrated by aninverse pyramid of support as shown inFigure 3. The individual functions arediscussed in detail in Section 4, andSection 5 refers to appropriateallocation of functions.

Roles and responsibilities include twofunctions considered critical in movingfrom pilot demonstrations to a fullprogram, namely planning coordinationand training:

� Planning Coordination: Plansdeveloped by GPs/VWSCs haveto be considered by the districtauthorities through a periodicplanning process, managedat the district level forlogistical considerations.

The planning process isrequired to interpretstate policy in terms ofdeliverables, provide planningtemplates and facilitate trainingand technical support, review andapprove village plans, integrateplans and manage convergenceof different developmentprograms, monitor progress onimplementation and operationalperformance, and provide reportsto the state showing the impact onservice performance.3

Key Policy Issues

Figure 3: Inverse pyramid of support

3 For more details see the draft Handbook for District Waterand Sanitation Missions for Planning Coordination andConvergence (DDWS and WSP, 2010).

Citizens and Households:Water Consumers

GPs and VWSCs are responsible for providing water services

Blocks provide technical support

Districts facilitate financing, training, technical support, andsampling and analysis to check drinking water quality

Districts also lead on the planning function

States provide policies,financing, and training

National government provides policyguidance, standards, and financing

� Training: Training and capacitybuilding is critical for thedevelopment and implementation ofplans by GPs/VWSCs, and for theplanning process at the district level.These training/capacity buildingfunctions are discussed in outline inthis paper with details given inseparate handbooks andguidelines.4 Typically, planningtemplates can provide the basis fortraining of trainer programs targetingblock-level facilitators who would thentrain village-level representatives.

Water Safety Plans as aBasis for Investment

The process of preparing drinkingWater Safety Plans identifies problemsdue to either no control of specificrisks or inadequate controls. Someimprovements can be made quickly atlittle or no cost but others require asignificant amount of investment.Although improved operation ofexisting controls will result in fewerincidents of unsafe drinking water, itcan be expected that the mainimprovements will arise from theintroduction of better controls.

Drinking Water Safety Plans shouldinclude all parts of water distribution

together with nonpipe methodsprovided by tankers and watervendors, and through self provisionsuch as shallow tubewellhandpumps. Some of the mostimportant risks to drinking watersafety arise from these alternativedistribution systems and otherdeficiencies in the quantity of watersupplied. Accordingly, the associatedimprovement programs provide agood basis for the identification ofinvestment priorities covering bothquantity and quality requirements,and should be built into theplanning and investmentdecision-making processes.

For more sophisticated piped waterschemes, the Water Safety Plan canbe combined with a technical/financial survey which is used togather information on the conditionof assets, true operating costs, andcurrent performance. The informationcaptured by the survey and theWater Safety Plan then provides thebasis for preparing an Operating Plan(key operating functions, proposedstaff and maintenance costs,estimated income, and estimatedsurplus or deficit), and a ServiceImprovement Plan (a summary ofimprovement measures, proposedremedies, estimated costs, and initialprioritization or timeframe forimplementation). This informationalso supports more effectivereporting and monitoring, includingsimple performance indicators.Simple templates can be prepared inthe local language and used fortraining technical and operationalstaff. Annex 2 provides a full list of

4 See the Handbook for Gram Panchayats (DDWS andWSP, 2010), and the Training Manual for Village Water SafetyPlans prepared for Sikkim (Rural Management andDevelopment Department [RMDD] and WSP, 2010).

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templates that have been developedby WSP to support both villageplanning and district planningcoordination. Annex 3 provides asample template for a WaterSafety Plan.

Setting Performance Targets toReflect Health Objectives

The WHO Guidelines (Figure 2) refer to‘health-based targets’ with a view tomaking interventions based on healthdetermined benefits. The WHOframework shows health-based targetsas an input to drinking Water SafetyPlans. It is known from a WHO study5

that, in developing countries, thebenefits from investment in water andsanitation greatly exceed the costs, andit is possible to set simple operationaltargets which can be expected toachieve health improvements.

In particular, it can be expected thatthere is a relationship between thepresence of E.coli in water, as anindication of fecal contamination, anddiarrheal disease. The presence of achlorine residual in treated water is an

indication that the water is free ofcoliforms. So, in simple operationalterms, a health-related target can betranslated to a performance target suchas minimum chlorine residual. This thenbecomes an action level in a WaterSafety Plan (Annex 1). Where data onincidents of diarrheal diseases areavailable, it may be possible to observethe impact of continuously achievingthis action level through diligentoperations.6 In India, the developmentof improved water supplies at thevillage level should be carried out inpartnership with the National RuralHealth Mission (NRHM) to draw directcorrelations between implementationof Water Safety Plans, water quality,and incidence of water borne orwater-related diseases.

The establishment of targets and theirsubsequent attainment provide apowerful means to support evidence-based decision-making. Elucidatingoperational, water quality, and healthimprovements over a sustained periodof time provides a basis for stronglyadvocating widespread implementationof Water Safety Plans.

Policies on Interventions

Drinking Water Safety Plans are likely toidentify the need for improvements ateach stage of the supply chain, namely:

� Better protection of sources;

� Improved removal of contaminantswhether microbiological or chemical;

� Protection of distributionsystems; and

� Prevention of contaminationin households.

Protection of sources: With a surfacewater source, this may require, iffeasible, control over activities(agricultural, industrial or recreational)within some boundary of a lake, streamor spring to prevent ingress of nutrientsor contaminants. This could applyequally to a well but in some cases thatmay simply require adequate fencing toprevent access by animals. Therequirement is good local knowledgecoupled with some professionalguidance. Locally, measures forrainwater harvesting and groundwaterrecharge, as well as advocacy for waterconservation, can be implementedpossibly in consultation with otherconcerned departments, for example,forestry. In India, the issue of arsenicand fluoride contamination (as well asiron, nitrate, and salinity) is given highpriority under the National RuralDrinking Water Program (NRDWP) with

5 Hutton, G. and Haller, L., 2004. Costs and benefits of waterand sanitation improvements at the global level (Evaluation ofthe). World Health Organization 2004, WHO/SDE/WSH/04.04.6 For example, field visits to Pune, Maharashtra, where theHealth Department is responsible for water quality monitoringand surveillance, found that officials were analyzing results tocorrelate incidence of disease with water quality.

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emphasis on finding alternativesources, and conjunctive use ofalternative groundwater and surfacewater sources.

Improved water treatment: Treatmentis required when it is not feasible in theshort term to achieve full protectionthrough ‘catchment’ measures, orwhere a contaminant occurs naturally inthe source, or as essential security onmicrobiological quality of water.Absolute priority should be given tomicrobiological quality and to concernsover any chemicals occurring at toxiclevels. Consideration should also begiven to other chemicals which are

present at levels above the existingnational standards (which should be setaccording to WHO guideline values, butit should be noted that most of theguideline values are based on a lifetimeof consumption with a large ‘factor ofsafety’ so small exceedances have littleimpact on health). WHO providesguidance on the effectiveness of themost common treatment processes inremoving various substances.7

Protection of distribution systems:Pipe systems are generally not at riskwhere there are continuous supplies,as the pressurized system preventsingress. Where there are intermittentsupplies, checks should be made forpoints of potential ingress of fecalmatter. Other distribution systems suchas tankers and water vendors are morevulnerable and critically dependentupon the operators. It is suggested that

the formal service providers regardthe other distributors as an integralpart of the water supply and developcontrol procedures with them.8 A keyprinciple of water safety planning isto have multiple barriers; it is unlikelythat just one remedy will preventcontamination but a combination ofcontrols can minimize the risks ofcontamination. The establishmentof a maintenance program thatregularly checks on the conditionand performance of piped networksand correlated maintenancerequirements is critical to ensurethat drinking water safety isnot compromised.

Prevention of contamination inhouseholds: This should be part ofan awareness campaign coveringwater, sanitation, and hygiene. InIndia, the Total Sanitation Campaign(TSC), and in particular theCommunity Led Total Sanitation(CLTS) approach, targetscommunity-level awareness raisingand behavior change to eliminateopen defecation and improvehygiene practices. Water SafetyPlans, with emphasis on source tomouth preventive controls, provide avery effective means of linking TSC/CLTS through water quality toimproved operational managementfor water supply. It is recommendedthat, where possible, water safetyplanning be implemented incombination with CLTS activities.This should consider safe storageand handling of water and simpleremedial actions (such as boiling) intimes when water safety may becompromised in the household.

7 This is done on log-reduction basis (each treatment processis rated in terms of some value of log-reduction that it canachieve). It is recommended that a guidance manual isprepared which could be used by those local engineerssupporting local service providers.8 An example is the case of water tankers in Ghana. WaterTanker Service Guidelines. Public Utilities RegulatoryCommission (PURC), 2008.


This report focuses on functionsrelated to drinking water qualitymanagement although other aspects,such as cost recovery policies whichaffect sustainability of water services,are critical in the delivery of safedrinking water. However, it doesdiscuss the improvement planningfunction since Water Safety Planshighlight those areas where controlsof risks to drinking water safety areinadequate, and improvementprograms need to be put in place.

The functions to be carried out in thedelivery of safe drinking water aredescribed here with discussion on theknowledge and skills required toundertake them (Figure 4).

Policy and Standards

NRDWP provides overall policyguidance in India. The development ofdrinking water quality standards(BIS10500) is also a national function(currently under the Drinking WaterSectional Committee, FAD 25).However, where there is significantvariability in water source conditions,it is states that should interpretnational standards appropriately and,where necessary, set interimstandards to focus attention on thoseparameters most affecting health.

States must take decisions on policyapproaches to the achievement ofdrinking water quality standards,including decisions on the use ofdrinking Water Safety Plans.Guidelines on the preparation ofdrinking Water Safety Plans, basedinitially on experience elsewhere, and

refined later in the light of local

experience, are an early requirement.

These are most appropriately

developed within existing state training

institutions.9 There should also be some

means of sharing experience between

and within states, for example, from

exposure visits.

States may wish to introduce incentive

schemes with progress based on

performance improvements being

rewarded. Water Safety Plans are

concerned with improved operational

management, and performance targets

Functions to SupportDrinking Water Safety Planning

13

can be set to reflect this objective. Theresults would need to be published as

league tables to establish comparative

competition. Such an approach would

require effective audit procedures to

ensure level playing fields. As an

alternative to financial inducements,

there can be incentives through

recognized schemes in which awards

are given at publicized ceremonies.10

Figure 4: Functions to support drinking water safety planning

9 For example, in Sikkim, the State Institute of RuralDevelopment (SIRD) was already carrying outtraining workshops related to water qualitymonitoring and surveillance, and sanitation as wellas training of GPs in their new responsibilities.10 As under the Nirmal Gram Puraskar for sanitation.

Establishing a Program

Having decided to implement a drinkingWater Safety Plan approach, there is aneed for programs to be establishedwhich focus on systems of greatestconcern, and to determine investmentpriorities. In practice, improvementprograms are developed bottom-upwith village plans aggregated withsupport from blocks into district plans.It is recommended that there be aperiodic planning process, perhapsoperating every five years, to providefor integrated decision–making withinwhich there would be annual budgets.Plans and budgets should be updatedannually. This programmatic approachaligns with NRDWP which providesfinancing, technical support, andtraining for village and district watersecurity planning. Financing is nolonger in the form of lumpy investmentsin schemes and works, but alsoconsiders the need for ongoinginvestment in O&M and refurbishmentof assets, together with monitoring,reporting, and audit.

Reporting and Audit

Annual reports are valuable as theyprovide the state with a means ofassessing progress. It should be adistrict function. The responsible districtshould report on progress on:(a) improvement programs; (b) drinkingWater Safety Plan preparationprograms; (c) operation of drinkingWater Safety Plans, citing anydifficulties; and (d) drinking water qualityas measured in verification programs.The state would establish the datareturn formats and provide templates

for the preparation of the annualreports. The districts would have todecide which annual reports would berequired by the GPs. An importantinitiative under way in India is the use ofgeographic information system (GIS)mapping of sources includingwater quality.

In a delegated system, states wouldwish to carry out periodic audits tocheck on progress and problems. Thebasis for the audit would be the annualreports from the districts. The auditcould involve visits to districts to look atrecords and to GPs on a random basisto check whether the situation on theground is truly reflected in the reports.

District Planning Coordination

Working from national or stateguidelines, it should be theresponsibility of districts to supportprograms for the preparation ofdrinking Water Safety Plans by GPs fortheir supply systems. Under NRDWP,it is anticipated that this would beachieved under the District Water andSanitation Mission (DWSM) throughBlock Resource Centers (BRCs) which

A critical role of the district is the planning coordination function, to interpretstate policy in terms of deliverables, provide planning templates and facilitatetraining and technical support, review and approve village plans, integrateplans and manage convergence of different development programs, monitorprogress on implementation and operational performance, and to providereports to the state showing the impact on service performance.

For more details see the draft Handbook for District Water and Sanitation Missions for PlanningCoordination and Convergence (DDWS and WSP, 2010).

District planning coordination

would support GPs/VWSCs. Thesequence in which GPs are supportedshould be prioritized based on theresults of surveys on delivered drinkingwater quality. However, considerationwill have to be given to whether trainedpersonnel are available.

Baseline Surveys for Water Quality

Districts must collect and review dataon drinking water available for thesystems in their areas. If recent surveyshave been carried out, or if there arereliable monitoring data, these can beused as input to determine priorities forsupporting GPs in the development ofdrinking Water Safety Plans, and inreviewing the effectiveness of criticalcontrols. If recent data are notavailable, or there are doubts about thereliability of available data, surveysshould be instigated. These requiresampling and analysis at competent(ideally accredited to nationalstandards) district or sub-divisionalwater testing laboratories, and samplesshould be collected by trained staff.Analysis should include microbiologicalparameters and those chemicals

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known or suspected of being present atlevels of potential concern. The surveysshould be timed to take into accountseasonal factors and might requiresampling at different times of the year.

Training

Training of trainers in the preparation ofdrinking Water Safety Plans is requiredfor the block facilitators and othersupport organizations. Subsequenttraining of village-level operational staffby facilitators would take place duringthe preparation of drinking Water SafetyPlans itself and through learning bydoing. During that training, they will seethe significance of critical controls andtheir roles in monitoring and management.

Training for facilitators could beestablished within State Institutes ofRural Development (SIRDs), or similarinstitutions, and it could be integratedinto training programs already in placeon water quality testing and/orsanitation. The trainers in the instituteswould require assistance in preparingtraining programs from those with directexperience of drinking Water SafetyPlans. Training of facilitators, usingexamples of real systems, isrecommended with break-out sessionsto work on examples.11

Special attention is required for trainingon checks of control measures andwhether they are failing, defining whatneeds to be done immediately if anaction limit is breached, and how it canbe verified that the reaction to a loss ofa control has been successful.

As water safety planning is an iterativeprocess, with periodic reviews and

updates, training programs should bedeveloped that support continuouseducation, for example, yearly refreshercourses. The content of trainingprograms should also reflect localcircumstances, for example, using theoutputs of water quality surveys andWater Safety Plan audits to bettertarget training activities to practicalneeds. A formally accredited orcertified training program may also helpincentivize individuals to continuouslyparticipate in training.

Awareness Training

For successful local management ofwater systems and, particularly for carein protecting water from contaminationin homes, everyone needs tounderstand the importance of hygiene

and other aspects of avoiding theingestion of pathogens. Awareness‘training’ can only take place at thevillage level. A lot of work has beendone in raising awareness, for example,under TSC12 in India. A concertedprogram running alongside theintroduction of drinking Water SafetyPlans is recommended. One outputfrom drinking Water Safety Planscould be some focus on preventingcontamination in the home,with preparation of awarenessleaflets particularly targeted atwomen’s groups.

11 Specifically, lessons can be taken from the experience of CLTSworkshops, which combine classroom work with field work.12 Total Sanitation Campaign, Department of Drinking WaterSupply, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.‘Total Sanitation Campaign is a comprehensive programme toensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with broader goal toeradicate the practice of open defecation.’http://ddws.nic.in/tsc-nic/html/

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Management of WaterSupply Systems

With a policy of devolution,responsibility for the management andoperation of water supply systems willbe the responsibility of GPs or theirVWSCs. The introduction of drinkingWater Safety Plans provides on-the-jobtraining in the operation of the systems.In particular, the process of developingWater Safety Plans, Operating Plans,and Service Improvement Plansprovides the opportunity to help trainmanagers on issues of planning,investment, financial management, andmonitoring and reporting.13

Preparing a Water Safety Plan

The preparation of drinking WaterSafety Plans is not rocket science, butit does require a disciplined approach(Annex 1). Teams need to be formedwith personnel covering all aspects of awater supply system from source tomouth. For simple single well systems,this may involve only the personresponsible for maintaining the welland a user. In such cases, it isrecommended that a generic drinkingWater Safety Plan approach is takenwith the plan adjusted for each systemto reflect local circumstances. Forsystems which use surface water, andinvolve treatment and a distributionsystem, there needs to be a teamincluding someone from each part of

the supply chain and a user to coverpoint-of-use aspects. The team leadershould be local and capable of takingownership of the plan, and assistanceshould be given by a trained facilitatorprovided by the district. The facilitatorsshould be responsible for ensuring thatthe drinking Water Safety Plans areproduced to the required format andstandard. It is important that thedocumentation is simple, covering onlycritical controls and who should beresponsible for monitoring what andwhen, together with steps to take if acontrol fails (operation reactionprocedures). A detailed Hazard AnalysisCritical Control Point (HACCP) typedocumentation as used in developedcountries for urban systems isunnecessary and undesirable. Asample Water Safety Plan with typicalrisks and remedies, suitable for basicpiped water supplies in rural India, isprovided in Annex 3.

Preparing an Operating Plan

A drinking Water Safety Plan generallyconsists of two parts: a riskassessment plan and a managementplan. Specimen tables are includedin Annex 1.

� The risk assessment plan definesthe critical controls, and sets targetand action levels. The criticalcontrols can be means of preventingcontamination of the source,treatment to remove contaminants,operations to prevent ingress ofcontaminants into the distributionsystem, or means to preventcontamination in the household.Target levels are usually the

13 See the Handbook for Gram Panchayats(DDWS and WSP, 2010).

16


attainment of some standard. Actionlevels are the levels set which, whenexceeded, indicate that someaction must be taken immediatelyto prevent or mitigate against lossof control. Some action limitsare quantitative, others arequalitative; and

� The management plan identifiesmonitoring requirements under theheadings of what, when and who,and sets down the requiredoperational actions to be takenif an action level has beenexceeded. Monitoring can be quitesimple, for example, for a single well,daily checks that animals are notgetting access where they cancause contamination.

Each monitoring and action responseneeds to be incorporated intooperational procedures with eachindividual involved being givenclear instructions on his or herresponsibilities, and provided withtraining as necessary. Decisions need

to be taken on operational recording ofactions. If a treatment works isinvolved, the operator may need to ticka box daily giving the time of the checkto confirm that the operation of achlorinator has been checked. It is agood discipline to have some means ofrecording even the simple checks, andit is important for audit trails.

Checking the Operation ofDrinking Water Safety Plans

This is a GP management function andinvolves checking that the criticalcontrols are being monitored effectivelyand that the specified actions havebeen taken if an action level has beenexceeded. For example, waschlorination checked at the requiredfrequency and, if there was a failure ofchlorination, were villagers advised toboil water for drinking? The functionshould be carried out by someone orsome village organization not directlyinvolved in the operation of the system.This could be a VWSC, or a

community-based organization (CBO).Initially, the frequency of checks couldbe weekly, with less frequent checks ifthe system is being operated reliably.

Verification of DrinkingWater Quality

The principle behind the use of drinkingWater Safety Plans to control drinkingwater quality is that end-of-pipe testingis insufficient by itself (by the timeanalysis results have been obtainedfrom a laboratory, it is too late because ifthat water contained pathogens theconsumers will already be sick).On-the-spot analysis using field kitsprovides for better protection,particularly if an indicator can bemeasured instantaneously, for example,turbidity. However, even then, it is notpractical to take measurementssufficiently frequently to achievecomplete protection. Also, as the kitsprovide less accurate results thanlaboratory testing, samples need to besent to a laboratory periodically to checkthat the operational controls areworking. The frequency of checksshould be established on the likelyvariability of the quality of the deliveredwater, which is often influenced bychanges in the quality of the sourcewater due to seasonal or other factors.

It is important that test results arereported correctly so that GPs orVWSCs can respond appropriately. AlsoNRHM representatives need to beinformed and correlations with incidenceof water borne or water-related diseasesmade. This analysis will help to verifythat Water Safety Plans are having a realimpact on public health outcomes.

17

In Section 4, there was discussion onfunctions to support water safetyplanning. Table 1 indicates somesuggestions for states in India. It is based

Assigning Roles and Responsibilities

on current discussions concerningNRDWP, and the roles and responsibilitiesof GPs, blocks, and districts. Actualassignment would vary state by state but

Table 1 could be used by states to mapout their approaches to incorporatingdrinking water safety planning in theirexisting institutional structures.

Functions Organization Level Comments

National State District Block GP/ State CBO/ NGO/VWSC Training SHG SO

Institute

Overall policy guidelines, � As per NRDWPand standards and BIS10500

Policies and programs � State policy includingadoption of DWSPs

Incentive schemes � � � e.g., Sajal Gram Puraskar

Annual reporting on � DWSMsmanagement of drinkingwater quality

Audit by states � � NGOs could begiven a role here

Planning coordination � Management ofof DWSPs programs by DWSMs

Establishing current � � District and sub-state of source water divisional Iaboratories;and delivered water BRCs should supportas input to DWSPs

Training � � � SIRD, BRC, NGOs,and other SOs

Training on checks on � � �

operation of DWSPs

Quality and health � � �

awareness training

Management of water GPs/VWSCssupply systems � should contract a

trained operator

DWSP preparation � � � BRCs support GPs/VWSCs

Conversion of DWSPs � � � This can also be the basisinto operational procedures for operator contracts

Checking operation � � Day-to-day checks onof DWSPs operational controls—does

not involve analysis

Verification of � � District and sub-divisionaldrinking water quality laboratories

Note: For DWSP read Drinking Water Safety Plans; SHG: self help group.

Table 1: Functions and which organizations might handle them in IndiaTable 1: Functions and which organizations might handle them in India

18


There is extensive information on theWHO and the International WaterAssociation (IWA) websites includingmanuals providing step-by-stepguidance and a road map to supportcountry-level implementation.14

However, it is experience based largelyon developed world urban situationswith strong emphasis on the use ofHACCP systems. Rural situations donot require such a detailed approach,which could discourage some from theuse of drinking Water Safety Plans. It isrecommended that attention is given tothose case studies which demonstratea simple practical approach that canbe applied by nonprofessionals inday-to-day operations. Some valuableguidance is provided by some genericdrinking Water Safety Plans developedby ITN in Bangladesh for four commonwater system types used in rural areas,namely, rainwater harvesting, tubewells,dugwells, and pond sand filters. Theseexamples can be downloaded from theITN website: www.buet.ac.bd/itn.

To complement this existing body ofwork, WSP’s work as presented in thisreport has focused on rural pipedschemes from simple gravity schemesfor a few houses to sophisticated bulksupply for multivillage schemes. Sampletemplates and training guidelines havebeen developed for this purpose, andthese have been adopted under theNRDWP’s Handbook for GramPanchayats. The list of templates isincluded in this report in Annex 2.

Available Knowledge and Experience

The aim should be to focus on criticalcontrols for delivering safe drinkingwater and convert those intooperational procedures, train the localoperators in monitoring the controls,and taking predetermined actions if a

14 Think Big, Start Small, Scale Up: A Road Map to SupportCountry Level Implementation of Water Safety Plans. WHOand IWA, 2010.

control fails. This simple approach isillustrated by two tables included inAnnex 1 to record the informationfrom the risk assessment aspectand what that means for monitoringand action.

19

A Pilot Demonstration in [xxx]Gram Panchayats in [xxx] Districts

It is suggested that a demonstrationproject is established to test out theproposed approach quickly andamend it as necessary to providestates with the benefits of thatexperience. To make rapid progress,the pilot should be run in a districtwhere there is good data on drinkingwater quality, good communications,effective training systems are alreadyin place, and strong leadership from anindividual involved in the water supplysystem. A sample proposal thatwas implemented successfully inSikkim during 2007–09 is givenbelow, which can be adapted tothe situation in districts in thedifferent states.15

Water Safety Plans andService Improvement Plans

1. The establishment of Water SafetyPlans involves a risk assessmentfrom source to mouth, and theidentification of critical controls formanaging those risks to achieveconsistently safe drinking water.

2. The key activities of the proposedstudy are:

� To choose EIGHT povertyaffected GPs (Kamling andChisupani would be includedfrom West and South Sikkim),TWO each from the FOURdistricts to take part in thedemonstration pilot project;

A Suggested Approach toDemonstration and Implementation

� SIRD to train the BarefootEngineer and VWSC in how to‘prepare a drinking Water SafetyPlan’. They would also be supportedby the Field Facilitator and block-levelengineers (Rural Management andDevelopment Department—RMDD)and health workers who would beincluded in the training. This would bepartly in a classroom on basics butlargely through the development of adrinking Water Safety Plan in the GPs;

� The training workshops (either one ineach district, or two for South/Westand North/East) would be linked toCLTS to include ‘awareness training’on how to relate a hazard to potentialillness in the community, and toinclude issues of fecal contaminationand hygiene;

� This district-level training would becarried out by SIRD using trainingmaterials prepared with WSP;

� The drinking Water Safety Plans willalso highlight the need forinvestment in better controls.Investment proposals (ServiceImprovement Plans) would beprepared for consideration by thedistrict for funding underAccelerated Rural Water Supplyand Rural Water Supply andSanitation programs or othersources of funds, for example,departmental grants in aid, incentivefunds, user fees, etc;

� Additional training would be carriedout for the Barefoot Engineer andField Facilitators in the use of fieldtest kits for ‘water quality testing.’ Abaseline survey of water qualitywould be carried out in each of thedemonstration pilot GPs. In addition,as needed, tests would becarried out at the district/statereferral laboratories;

� The process of verification ofdrinking water quality by samplingand analysis would be introduced ata frequency determined initially bychecking confidence in theeffectiveness of the controls, andlater to take into account likely

20

15 Village Water Safety Planning Training Manual (RMDD, Sikkimand WSP, 2010).

In Sikkim, the government has introduced a comprehensive drinking waterand sanitation program that includes CLTS to achieve open defecation freevillages, village drinking Water Safety Plans to ensure potable water,and a Springs-shed Development Program (Dhara Vikash) to ensuresource sustainability.

Ensuring good safe drinking water in Sikkim


concerns due to seasonal orother factors;

� The GP/VWSC would be givenadditional training in ‘managing thewater supply system,’ which caninclude preparation of simple serviceagreements for those responsible foroperating the water supply system,as well as the GP/VWSC’sobligations related to funding;

� The VWSC and block engineers(RMDD) and Field Facilitator, orothers as decided by the district,would be trained in how to ‘monitorcontrols’ of the drinking WaterSafety Plans in practice and afrequency of monitoring would beestablished; and

� A process of ‘audit and reporting’would be established, which couldinvolve: (i) the GP reporting to thedistrict for purposes of planningcoordination and management offunding; (ii) Village Social AuditCommittees to verify usersatisfaction; (iii) one GP auditinganother GP on implementation ofWater Safety Plans; and (iv) aseparate department, for example,the Department of Economics,Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation(DESME), carrying out spot checksto verify results in terms of effectivewater safety planning by villages andinvestment by GPs/district.

� In addition to the trainingworkshops, district-level workshopsand later state-level workshopswould be organized to establish theprocess of extending the approach

to all systems. The main objectivewould be to: (i) showcase thedemonstration pilots of drinkingWater Safety Plans; (ii) to establishroles and responsibilities tooperationalize the approach acrossthe district/state including the trainingprograms; and (iii) showcasing howthe bottom-up investment proposalsrelated to improving the criticalcontrols of drinking water qualitymight be handled by the district‘planning coordinator,’ including theprocess of funding.

Outputs from the Study

The main outputs would be:

� Demonstration of the water safetyplanning approach, including drinking

21

Water Safety Plans operating in eightGPs in all four districts;

� Agreement on the institutionalframework (roles and responsibilities)to operationalize the approach;

� Demonstration of an integratedoperational management, and watersampling and analysis approach todrinking water quality;

� Realignment of financing forplanning and investment based onservice improvement priorities;

� Training material and a training planfor Water Safety Plan facilitatorsand auditors; and

� Articulation of the role of a districtplanning coordinator.

Process

In essence, the development and implementation of adrinking Water Safety Plan involves:

� Determining the supply system to be covered;

� Formation of a team covering the entire supply chain fromsource to mouth, to carry out a risk assessment;

� Review and development of controls to manage theidentified risks;

� Establishment of target and action limits for each controlwith associated reaction plans; and

� Incorporation of the controls into operational procedures.

Starting Points

The first step is to identify the system to be covered in oneplan. The boundaries of a system can depend upon thesource, the area supplied by a treatment works, or thesystem supplying a defined distribution system. The choicecan be for convenience, or because a particular supplysystem is susceptible to some risks of known concern, orto reflect a team’s responsibilities. For rural supplies, asource could be an aquifer, a pond, a stream, or arainwater harvesting scheme, or it could be part of amultivillage scheme.

Based on the choice and definition of the system beingcovered, a project team is formed. The team should includemembers from each organization in the supply chaincovering the water source, water treatment, waterdistribution and, if possible, consumers’ premises. This mayinvolve key people from a number of different organizations,or it could involve only one or two people responsible forsource and distribution in a village well system. Where thereare significant informal distribution systems, for example,tankers and water vendors, provision should be made fortheir representatives to either be included in the team or forthose systems to be considered separately. The team leaderis most likely to be the key person responsible for the

Annex 1

Development of Drinking Water Safety Plans

operation of the village system but the choice candepend upon circumstances, and on the availability ofkey individuals.

A good starting point for the team is an initiation workshop/meeting facilitated by someone with experience in theprocess of producing drinking Water Safety Plans. Aworkshop provides the opportunity for the team members toget to know each other, and to understand each other’schallenges. It is desirable to invite others for there to bemanagement involvement, perhaps from a VWSC, to ensurea commitment to implementation. At this stage, it isimportant to assemble all available information on thesystem under study including recent water quality surveys,and to identify deficiencies in any of the information.

One output from the workshop should be an agreedtimetable for the project, with a firm date for the completionof the first (risk assessment) stage. This first workshop/meeting could also be used to prepare a rough map of thewater supply system, with any inputs the community feelsare important regarding water quality or investments.

Risk Assessment

The risk assessment involves each member of the teamidentifying the hazards to the safety of drinking water in hisor her part of the supply chain. Hazards can be from anumber of sources, including pollution of sources or systemfailure. Consideration has to be given to the likelihood of ahazard presenting a real risk and its severity if it occurs. TheWHO Guidelines provide a simple scoring system (Table A1)to assist in identifying the relative importance of risks. Sucha simple system should be used only as a guide, as themain risks may be fairly obvious in a rural system, and it maynot be necessary to adopt such a scoring system. If it isused, the risk-scoring table provides the following definitionsthat are useful but again they should be regarded only asgiving some guidance and not used prescriptively:

Almost certain—once a day

Likely—once a week

22


23

Moderate—once a month

Unlikely—once a year

Rare—once every five years

Catastrophic—potentially lethal toa large population

Major—potentially lethal to asmall population

Moderate—potentially harmful to alarge population

Minor—potentially harmful to asmall population

Insignificant—no impact ornot detectable

Each hazard and its risk assessment need to be recorded,together with any supporting information. Table A2 is anexample of a recording system.

Reviewing the Controls andPriorities for Improvement

Once the risk assessment has been completed, eachmember of the team needs to review the controls in place tocounter each risk. Is there evidence that the controls are

working? Have there been incidents where the controlshave been inadequate? What preventative measures couldbe taken to reduce the risk? The analysis of controlmeasures is likely to identify some priorities for improvementwhich can be acted on at this early stage, thus giving someearly benefit for the work done on the project. Otherimprovements requiring investment will take longer.Although the control improvements will reduce thelikelihood of an incident taking place, they will not changethe consequences should it do so.

Setting Target and Action Limits

The next step is to set both target levels and action limitsfor each of the controls, and to record the designatedreaction measures, should an action limit be breached. Thetarget levels on controls at a treatment works are likely toinclude the drinking water quality standards at which, ingeneral, noncompliance can be dealt with under routineconditions. An action level should be set at a figure at whichimmediate action needs to be taken. At the beginning of thesupply chain and at the source end, some of the targetlevels are likely to be more subjective and could requirelonger timescales for achievement. Monitoring against thelimits is critical, and it is necessary to define what is beingmeasured, when (frequency), and by whom. The othernecessary component is a means of verifying that thecorrective action has worked. The outcome of this workcan be recorded as in Table A3.

Severity of consequences

Likelihood Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic

Almost certain 5 10 15 20 25

Likely 4 8 12 16 20

Moderate 3 6 9 12 16

Unlikely 2 4 6 8 10

Rare 1 2 3 4 5

Source: Water Safety Plans, World Health Organization, 2005.

Table A1: WHO suggested risk scoring

Operational Procedures

The above provisions should be converted into operationalprocedures, then operators should be trained in the new orrevised procedures. The management responsible for eachpart of the supply chain should establish a means ofchecking that the procedures and training do result in aneffective system for the supply of safe drinking water supply.

Checking that the Controls are Working

The first stage is for the GP/VWSC, depending upon thecircumstances, to carry out daily or weekly checks that the‘operator’ is following the operating procedures. This willinvolve inspections of the critical controls and of records keptby the operator on his or her monitoring. Importantly, this willinclude whether the operator took the specified actions if anaction level was breached. These checks are the mostimportant as they ensure that the main line of defense issecure in providing safe drinking water.

The VWSC may also establish a routine of using field testkits as a quick means to check that the water is safe to

Part ofsupplychain

drink. Although the kits can give both false positives and falsenegatives, with experience in their use, they add to the armoryin achieving safe water supplies. If a test indicatescontaminated water, the VWSC can request a laboratoryanalysis and, at the same time, both review the operation ofthe relevant control and, if appropriate, advise people to boilwater for drinking.

Verification

The ultimate check that the controls are working is laboratorysampling and analysis. This should be carried out consistentlyat a predetermined frequency.

References

Village Water Safety Planning Training Manual (RMDD, Sikkimand WSP, 2010); Handbook for Gram Panchayats to Help ThemPlan, Implement, Operate, Maintain and Manage Drinking WaterSecurity (DDWS and WSP, 2010); and draft Handbook forDistrict Water and Sanitation Missions for Planning Coordinationand Convergence (DDWS and WSP, 2010).

Hazard Control Critical Limits Monitoring Reaction Verification

Target level Action level What When Who

24

Table A3: Record of action limits, monitoring, and corrective actions

Table A2: Table for recording risk assessment information

Sourcecause

Hazard Preventativeand controlmeasures

Likelihood Severity Risk Downstreamcontrols

Commentsand furtherconsiderations

Steps


25

Various planning templates have been developed by WSP to support DDWS implement NRDWP.

Village Drinking Water Security Planning:

� Technical and financial survey

� Water Source Plan

� Water Safety Plan

� Operating Plan

� Service Improvement Plan

� Performance indicators

District Planning Coordination:

� Memorandum of Understanding between DWSM/BRC/VWSC

� Timetable for submission of planning applications

� Assessment sheet for each GP Plan

� District Investment Plan

� GP Annual Progress Report

� DWSM Annual Report

Annex 2

List of Planning Templates

Name of the GP, Village, Ward, Habitation, and Scheme: Date:

Annex 3

Water Safety Plan Sample Template

Risk Control measure Who does it? Who checks Action if control fails

What to do? Who does it?

• VWSC

Handpumps

• Livestock encroachon the well

• Surface drainagegetting into the well

• Apron is muddy andpoorly drained

• Latrines are close tothe well

• Fencing

• Raise and repairthe apron

• Improve drainage

• Ensure cleanstorage containers

• Relocate latrines

• Handpumpcaretaker

• Mechanic

• Contractors

• VWSC

• Community

• Contactmechanic orcontractor formaintenanceand repair

• Disinfecthousehold water

• Samplingand analysis



• BarefootEngineer and/orprivate fitter

• ASHA (VWSC)

• NGOs

Piped water supply—Source

• Animal feces

• Garbage

• Livestock effluents

• Fencing

• Publicawareness,IEC—signboards

• Effluent pathwayshould berelocated

• Contractlaborers

• BarefootEngineer and/orprivate fitter,SHG,communitylabor

• VWSC withsupport fromNGOs andSHGs

• PanchayatInspectorwith helpfrom ForestGuard andBarefootEngineerand/orprivate fitter

• VWSC

• Community

• Clean upand repair

• Disinfecthousehold waterusing electro-chlorinator

• H2S vial test

26

it is done?

it is done?


27




• VWSC toorganize


• Contractor

• Junior Engineer

• VWSC withsupport fromNGOs

Piped water supply—Treatment system and sedimentation tank

• Chemical orbacteriologicalcontamination

• Animal feces

• Garbage

• Poor design

• Tank damagedor leaking

• Check efficacyof existingtreatment system

• Add newtreatment system

• Install tank cover

• Public awareness/IEC signboards

• Clean tank

• Regular check upon water flow andfilter material

• Operator

• Contractor

• Contractor

• JuniorEngineer

• VWSC withsupportfrom NGOs

• VWSC

• PanchayatInspector withhelp fromBarefootEngineer and/or private fitter

• VWSC

• Community

• Short termalternative supply

• Correct problem

• Build newtreatment system

• Clean up

• Disinfect householdwater usingelectro-chlorinator

• H2S vial test

• Repair cover

• Repair signboards

• Repair tank




• Contractor

• Junior Engineer


• Animal feces

• Garbage

• Bathing and laundry

• Tank damagedor leaking

• Private pipelinesconnected at tank

• Install tank cover

• Public awareness/IEC signboards

• Clean tank

• Regular check upon tank condition

• Explore options todisconnect privateconnections

• Contractor

• Junior Engineer


• BarefootEngineer/private fitter

• PanchayatInspectorwith helpfromBarefootEngineerand/orprivate fitter

• VWSC

• Community

• Clean up


• H2S vial test

• Repair cover

• Repairsignboards

• Repair tank

Piped water supply—Storage tank

it is done?

it is done?


Risk Control measure Who? Who monitors? Action if control fails

What? Who?

• ASHA (VWSC)


• Contractor

• Junior Engineer


Piped water supply—Distribution pipeline

• Animal feces

• Garbage

• Effluents

• Poorly laid pipelinesin public footpathsor drains

• Leaking pipes

• Publicawareness/IEC

• Regular check upon pipes

• BarefootEngineer/private fitter

• Contractor

• Junior Engineer


• PanchayatInspector withhelp fromBarefootEngineerand/orprivate fitter

• VWSC

• Community

• Clean up


• H2S vial test

• Realignmentof pipelines

• Repair ofleaking pipes

Risk Control measure Who? Who monitors? Action if control fails

What? Who?

• ASHA (VWSC)

• NGOs

• ASHA (VWSC)

• NGOs

Household storage and personal hygiene

• Unclean storagecontainer

• Absence of lid onstorage container

• No ladle toremove water

• No hand washingwith soap

• Uncut nails


• Point-of-usetreatment


• Empowerwomen groupsto advocatepersonal hygiene

• ASHA (VWSC)

• NGOs

• Teachers

• Health workers

• Anganwadiworkers

• ASHA (VWSC)

• NGOs

• Teachers

• Health workers

• Anganwadiworkers

• VWSC

• SanitaryInspector

• VWSC

• SanitaryInspector


• H2S vial test


• H2S vial test

28

ASHA: Accredited Social Health Activist; IEC: Information, Education, and Communication; H2S: hydrogen sulphide.


Water and Sanitation ProgramWorld Bank55 Lodi EstateNew Delhi 110 003IndiaPhone: (91–11) 24690488, 24690489Fax: (91–11) 24628250E-mail: [email protected] site: www.wsp.org

November 2010

WSP MISSION:WSP’s mission is to support poor people inobtaining affordable, safe, and sustainable accessto water and sanitation services.

WSP FUNDING PARTNERS:The Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) is amulti-donor partnership created in 1978 andadministered by the World Bank to support poorpeople in obtaining affordable, safe, andsustainable access to water and sanitationservices. WSP provides technical assistance,facilitates knowledge exchange, and promotesevidence-based advancements in sector dialog.WSP has offices in 25 countries across Africa, EastAsia and the Pacific, Latin America and theCaribbean, South Asia, and in Washington, DC.WSP’s donors include Australia, Austria, Canada,Denmark, Finland, France, the Bill and MelindaGates Foundation, Ireland, Luxembourg,Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UnitedKingdom, United States, and the World Bank. Formore information, please visit www.wsp.org.

AusAID provides WSP programmatic support.

PREPARED BY:Michael Rouse, Nicholas Pilgrim, and Amit Nair

TASK MANAGER:Nicholas Pilgrim

PEER REVIEW BY:Tom Williams and Mark Ellery

Edited by: Ananda SwaroopPhotographs by: Nicholas Pilgrim and Amit NairCreated by: Write MediaPrinted by: Vashima Printers

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