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The 4th edition of WHO guidelines for
drinking water quality launched
About
84 percent of population in South-East Asia Region have access to improved
drinking water supply. However, the water that is supplied may not be safe
mainly due to poor maintenance of the water system, inadequate sanitary
facilities and aging water supply infrastructure. Unsafe drinking water
supply coupled with poor sanitation, and poor hygiene practices causes
diarrheal diseases. About 1.1 million people die annually from diarrheal
diseases in the region. To prevent water and sanitation related diseases, the
4th edition of the drinking water guidelines which was released on 4th July
at the Singapore International Water Week, calls on countries to strengthen
management of drinking water by adopting a water safety planning approach.
The
Guidelines are regarded globally as the most authoritative framework on
drinking-water quality and often form the basis for setting national water
quality standards, laws and regulations.
In
addition to highlighting common challenges in providing safe and clean water,
the Guidelines map out new solutions. For the first time, comprehensive good
practice recommendations are provided for all levels, from household
rainwater harvesting and safe storage through to policy advice on bulk water
supply and the implications of climate change on:
 drinking-water safety, including minimum
procedures, specific guideline values and how these should be used;
microbial hazards, which continue to be the
primary concern in both developing and developed countries;
climate change, which results in changing
water temperature and rainfall patterns, severe and prolonged drought or
increased flooding, and its implications for water quality and water
scarcity, recognizing the importance of managing these impacts as part of
water management strategies;
chemical contaminants in drinking-water,
including information on chemicals not considered previously such as
pesticides used for disease vector control in stored drinking-water;
key chemicals responsible for large-scale
health effects through drinking-water exposure, including arsenic, fluoride
and lead, and chemicals of public concern such as nitrate, selenium, uranium
and disinfection-by-products.
The
fourth edition of the WHO Drinking-water Quality Guidelines and FAQs are available at http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/events/singapore2011/en/index.html
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