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Download fileOperational research on water safety plans: implementations in India, DRC, Fiji, and Vanuatu
conference contribution
posted on 2018-02-12, 15:11 authored by Gabrielle String, R. Singleton, Patrick N. Mirindi, F. Polo, Daniele LantagneDespite the promotion of Water Safety Plans (WSPs) as a comprehensive risk assessment and
management strategy for water delivery, there is a lack of documented outcomes and impacts from this
approach, particularly for community-managed supplies. Through a mixed-methods protocol of
household surveys, water quality testing of source and stored water samples, key informant interviews,
and focus group discussions, this study looked at WSP implementation in four countries to ascertain
lessons learnt from these programs. From 817 household surveys and 256 key informant discussions, it
was determined that there was no clear evidence linking WSPs to improvements in water quality.
However, interviews indicated improved capacity of local committees in understanding their water
supply systems and in identifying key risks to the delivery of safe water. Additional outcomes of WSPs
and challenges associated with their implementation are discussed.
History
School
- Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Research Unit
- Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)