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Safe and reliable drinking-water supply depends on effective risk management, informed technology selection, and strong regulation.

The new WHO Compendium of drinking-water systems and technologies offers a comprehensive reference for engineers, planners, and decision-makers to strengthen drinking-water supply systems—from source to consumer.

Taking a whole-of-system approach, the Compendium links technology choice to health targets, promotes risk-based management, and supports equitable, resilient, and sustainable services.

Small water supplies worldwide often struggle with regulatory compliance and higher risks of waterborne disease outbreaks compared to larger systems. The EU Drinking Water Directive and WHO guidelines promote risk-based approaches (RBAs) through water safety plans, but uptake remains limited in small supplies, including in the Nordic countries. This research, based on interviews with 53 stakeholders across eight Nordic countries, identifies key challenges and solutions for improving compliance. Findings highlight the importance of supportive government policies, ongoing training, clear and simple RBA guidelines, and stronger cooperation within the water sector. The Nordic experience reflects global challenges and aligns with WHO’s push since 2004 for preventive, risk-based water safety management.

The WHO’s Regional Office for Europe has released a new publication titled "Checklists for Strengthening Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Emergency Preparedness and Response: Focus on Ukraine."

Developed in the context of the war in Ukraine, the guidance provides practical checklists to help local authorities assess and strengthen WASH system resilience in emergencies. Aimed at protecting public health, the tool supports rapid restoration or continuity of essential WASH services. While tailored to Ukraine, the checklists are adaptable for other conflict-affected settings.

In 2015, Ghana launched the National Drinking Water Quality Management Framework (NDWQMF) to promote a risk-based approach to water quality through water safety plans (WSPs). This study uses a narrative review to synthesize WSP implementation progress in Ghana, identify gaps in practice, and provide recommendations for enhanced effectiveness and scale-up.

This technical brief provides general information on the management of cyanobacteria in drinking-water supplies to help regulators and water suppliers safeguard public health. It  describes measures to prevent the formation of cyanobacterial blooms and options to manage such blooms and their toxins when they occur. This updated technical brief has been revised based on the second edition of Toxic cyanobacteria in water – a guide to their public health consequences, monitoring and management.

In 2015, Ghana launched the National Drinking Water Quality Management Framework (NDWQMF) to promote risk-based water quality management via water safety plans (WSPs). This narrative review assesses WSP implementation progress, identifies practice gaps, and offers recommendations for improvement. Findings reveal limited adoption: only 3 of 88 urban water systems and 177 of 1,022 small-town systems under the Community Water and Sanitation Agency have implemented WSPs, while community-managed systems remain uninvolved. Key issues include incomplete hazard assessments, weak improvement plans, and missing standard operating procedures. Strengthening implementation requires robust regulation, tailored guidelines, and support structures across urban and rural systems.

Much of the global population is exposed to contaminated drinking water. In piped systems, contamination can be mitigated at the water supplier or household levels, but it is often easier to mitigate at the water supplier level where it can be centrally managed. A water safety plan (WSP) is a holistic tool for proactively ensuring the safety of drinking water supplies from source to tap. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends this systematic risk assessment and preventive management approach for water supplies of all sizes to ensure drinking water safety and avoid exposure to contamination.

While application of WSPs have spread, systematic evidence for their implementation and effectiveness in improving water quality and health is limited, particularly in low-resource settings. Randomized controlled trials with staggered implementation (i.e., implementing in the control group at the end of data collection) have been recommended to overcome these issues. WSPs are also at the early stages of implementation in Ghana, and an evaluation of their implementation approaches and impact would help guide nationwide adoption and provide evidence useful to water service providers.

Ce manuel fournit des conseils pratiques pour soutenir l'élaboration et la mise en œuvre de la planification de la gestion de la sécurité sanitaire de l'eau conformément aux principes présentés dans les Directives de l'OMS pour la qualité de l'eau potable.

Le manuel s'adresse aux distributeurs d'eau et aux organisations qui soutiennent les programmes de planification de la gestion de la sécurité sanitaire de l'eau, notamment les agences gouvernementales responsables de la santé publique ou de la réglementation et de la surveillance de la qualité de l'eau de boisson, et les organisations non gouvernementales ou intergouvernementales. Ce manuel présente un large éventail d’exemples et d’études de cas observés dans des pays ayant différents niveaux de revenu, qui mettent en avant des solutions pratiques à des situations réelles du monde entier afin d’aider les lecteurs à appliquer les orientations dans divers contextes.

Cette édition du manuel intègre des considérations en matière d’équité et de résilience climatique à la stratégie de planification de la gestion de la sécurité sanitaire de l’eau afin d’assurer à tous les utilisateurs un accès à un approvisionnement en eau de boisson géré en toute sécurité, malgré les incertitudes croissantes liées aux changements climatiques

Infrastructure and supporting services are at increasing risk from climate threats, which may compromise the health and well-being of communities. Service providers are actively undertaking measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt infrastructure and management strategies to enhance resilience. Climate change considerations are increasingly being integrated into water safety plans and sanitation safety plans, and measures such as improving water efficiency, reducing leakage and reusing treated wastewater are being implemented. However, further development of adaptive management and scenario-based planning is necessary. Regulators can support service providers to strengthen resilience, alongside setting climate targets that consider local priorities. The Protocol on Water and Health offers a framework for addressing climate challenges by promoting stakeholder collaboration and supporting enhanced resilience through target setting and data harmonization.

This document presents a robust and authorized framework that provides essential support for the seamless execution of WSPs in the context of Sri Lanka. This need arises within the global context of WSPs gaining recognition as a crucial tool in ensuring drinking water quality, acceptability, and quantity as advocated by the WHO and widely adopted worldwide. Notably, in the specific context of Sri Lanka, the WHO has extended its WSP training program to the South Asian region, acknowledging the country's proactive stance in embracing and implementing WSP practices. The policy includes consideration of both equity and climate resilience, and aims to ensure access to safe and quality drinking water for all citizens, promoting sustainable water use and promoting economic growth and prosperity in the water sector.

A wholesale/retail model delivers drinking water to over 5 million residents in metropolitan Melbourne (Australia). Water Safety Plans were implemented in 1999 ahead of being regulatory mandated in 2003. With over 20 years of WSP application, this collaborative paper by the wholesaler and retailer utilities presents practical examples of drinking water quality risk management in challenging operational environments, highlighting lessons learnt, improvements made and outcomes achieved. Melbourne's supply comprises multiple sources, necessitating different tailored treatment configurations. Source waters range from open catchment with multiple treatment barriers, to protected catchment source waters requiring solely disinfection treatment (unfiltered) with gravity driven supply. Potable supply is a combination of unfiltered, filtered, desalinated and blended supplies. This makes for diversity in case studies brought to this paper, and a range of lessons likely to be of interest to the global WSP community. The Melbourne utility experience highlights the importance of developing and continually improving control measures for ongoing (adaptive) risk reduction. A robust emergency management plan is also fundamental to ensure preparedness for complex and unpredictable events. Furthermore, leveraging learnings from audits and incidents has been valuable for process improvement. WSP implementation has also facilitated timely communication with consumers and other stakeholders.

Since their incorporation into the 2004 version of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality (GDWQ), Water Safety Plans (WSPs) continue to be the pre-eminent process for the delivery of safe drinking water to consumers. WSPs achieve this by prioritising proactive, rather than reactive, management of risks to drinking water quality. Since the use of WSPs was incorporated into the GDWQ, a range of supporting resources have been produced to assist water suppliers in preparing WSPs. Producing a robust WSP is an important first step in the management of risk, but in many cases, the implementation of WSPs presents significant challenges, particularly in relation to the implementation of Module 5 (implementing improvements) and Module 6 (monitoring of control measures). To address barriers to WSP implementation, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), in a peer-to-peer partnership with two Australian water utilities, developed a pilot WSP implementation strategy for one of the company’s drinking water supply systems. One of the outputs of the collaboration was the development of a framework for operationalising water safety planning, which incorporates basic guidance for embedding the WSP within routine operations, in order to ensure the safe management of drinking water.

This publication presents the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) sanitary inspection packages. These packages update the sanitary inspection forms in WHO’s 1997 Guidelines for drinking-water quality. Volume 3: surveillance and control of community supplies. With more than 25 years of practical experience with the application of sanitary inspections, these packages have been developed from a comprehensive evidence review and established good practices.

These Guidelines, specifically tailored to small water supplies, build on over 60 years of guidance by the World Health Organization (WHO) on drinking-water quality and safety. They focus on establishing drinking-water quality regulations and standards that are health based and context appropriate; on proactively managing risks through water safety planning and sanitary inspections; and on carrying out independent surveillance. The guidance is intended primarily for decision-makers at national and subnational levels with responsibility for developing regulatory frameworks and support programmes related to these activities. Other stakeholders involved in water service provision will also benefit from the guidance in this document.

The use of water safety plans (WSPs) has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2004 as a highly effective means of improving water safety management. Experience with the implementation of WSPs is increasing worldwide, but there is no unified or standardized methodology for how the verification of a WSP should be conducted. In this article, we present a thorough evaluation of a specific WSP five years after its initial implementation. We reviewed the risk assessment methodology used by a water utility in Salta, Argentina, and assessed the implementation of control measures. To objectively evaluate the effectiveness of the WSP, we evaluated water quality parameters and customer complaints using a time-series analysis. We show that although some control measures were implemented, and a reduction in risk values was observed, it was not possible to improve long-standing problems in the water supply of the city of Salta, such as the number of consumer complaints or high turbidity levels in the water during the rainy season. We discuss the role of rigorous scientific assessments and the importance of legislation and regulatory bodies in implementing the WSP.

This report provides a synthesis of water safety plan (WSP) implementation efforts in Ghana. It highlights the implementation status, enabling environment, challenges, opportunities, and relevant recommendations for improvement.

聯同《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，此範本納入了醫院設施經理的意見，以協助管理人員制訂和實施水安全計劃，提升醫院內的食水安全。

聯同《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，此範本納入了醫院設施經理的意見，以協助管理人員制訂和實施水安全計劃，提升醫院內的食水安全。

In conjunction with the Guidelines for Drinking Water Safety Plans for Buildings in Hong Kong, this template is prepared incorporating input from facility managers of hospitals for management staff to develop and implement Water Safety Plan to enhance water safety in hospitals.

聯同《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，此範本旨在為安老院舍的業主或院舍管理人員提供易於使用的工具，為具有獨立內部供水系統的院舍制訂和實施水安全計劃，提升食水安全。

聯同《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，此範本旨在為安老院舍的業主或院舍管理人員提供易於使用的工具，為具有獨立內部供水系統的院舍制訂和實施水安全計劃，提升食水安全。

In conjunction with the Guidelines for Drinking Water Safety Plans for Buildings in Hong Kong, this template is prepared as an easy-to-use tool for owners or house management staff of residential care homes for the elderly with an independent internal plumbing system to develop and implement Water Safety Plan to enhance water safety.

聯同《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，此範本旨在為校舍管理負責人提供易於使用的工具，以制訂和實施水安全計劃，提升食水安全。

聯同《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，此範本旨在為校舍管理負責人提供易於使用的工具，以制訂和實施水安全計劃，提升食水安全。

In conjunction with the Guidelines for Drinking Water Safety Plans for Buildings in Hong Kong, this template is prepared as an easy-to-use tool for persons-in-charge of schools’ house management to develop and implement Water Safety Plan to enhance water safety.

聯同《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，此範本旨在為業主或物業管理人提供易於使用的工具，為具有一般供水系統的建築物（如住宅及辦公室大廈）制訂和實施建築物水安全計劃。

聯同《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，此範本旨在為業主或物業管理人提供易於使用的工具，為具有一般供水系統的建築物（如住宅及辦公室大廈）制訂和實施建築物水安全計劃。

In conjunction with the Guidelines for Drinking Water Safety Plans for Buildings in Hong Kong, this template is prepared as an easy-to-use tool for owners and property management agents to develop and implement Water Safety Plan for buildings with general plumbing systems such as residential and office buildings.

根據世界衞生組織的建議，香港水務署於2017年制訂了《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，協助業主和物業管理人制訂和實施水安全計劃，以提升建築物的食水安全。指引及相關範本於2022年進行修訂並納入了最新資訊和實施經驗。截至2023年5月，全港約有4,000幢建築物實施了建築物水安全計劃，涵蓋逾百萬住戶。

根據世界衞生組織的建議，香港水務署於2017年制訂了《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，協助業主和物業管理人制訂和實施水安全計劃，以提升建築物的食水安全。指引及相關範本於2022年進行修訂並納入了最新資訊和實施經驗。截至2023年5月，全港約有4,000幢建築物實施了建築物水安全計劃，涵蓋逾百萬住戶。

Based on the World Health Organization’s recommendations, the Water Supplies Department of Hong Kong developed the Guidelines for Drinking Water Safety Plans for Buildings in Hong Kong in 2017 to assist owners and property management agents in developing and implementing Water Safety Plans to enhance water safety in buildings. The guidelines and associated templates were revised in 2022 incorporating updated information and implementation experiences. As at May 2023, about 4,000 buildings in Hong Kong have implemented Water Safety Plan for Buildings covering more than one million households.

根據世界衞生組織的建議，香港水務署於2017年制訂了《香港建築物食水安全計劃指引》，協助業主和物業管理人制訂和實施水安全計劃，以提升建築物的食水安全。指引及相關範本於2022年進行修訂並納入了最新資訊和實施經驗。截至2023年5月，全港約有4,000幢建築物實施了建築物水安全計劃，涵蓋逾百萬住戶。

This Water safety plan manual provides practical guidance to support development and implementation of water safety planning in accordance with the principles presented in the WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality.

The manual is targeted at water suppliers and organizations supporting water safety planning programmes, including government agencies responsible for public health, or regulation and surveillance of drinking-water quality, nongovernmental or intergovernmental organizations. The guidance provides a broad range of examples and case studies from lower- to higher-income settings, highlighting practical solutions to real-world challenges from around the globe to help readers apply the guidance in diverse contexts.

This second edition streamlines guidance on the integration of climate resilience and equity into the water safety planning approach, to help support access to safely managed drinking-water services for all users, despite growing uncertainties from a changing climate.

This tool is intended to support the practical application of the guidance presented in the Water safety plan manual: step-by-step risk management for drinking-water suppliers, second edition (WHO & IWA, 2023). Refer to Module 10 in the manual for detailed guidance.

This tool provides key questions and considerations for conducting successful water safety plan (WSP) reviews, including post-event reviews (e.g. following a significant incident, near miss or emergency). It can also support reviews with a particular focus on strengthening equity and climate considerations as part of continuous WSP improvement.

This tool is intended to support the practical application of the guidance presented in the Water safety plan manual: step-by-step risk management for drinking-water suppliers, second edition (WHO & IWA, 2023).  Refer to Module 8 in the manual for detailed guidance.

To support preparedness for emergency responses and unforeseen events in accordance with Module 8, use this checklist to consider what needs to be in place in the local context.

This tool is intended to support the practical application of the guidance presented in the Water safety plan manual: step-by-step risk management for drinking-water suppliers, second edition (WHO & IWA, 2023). Refer to Module 4 in the manual for detailed guidance.

This tool provides examples of risk matrices, to illustrate the wide range of options that could be adopted for risk assessment as part of water safety planning.

This tool is intended to support the practical application of the guidance presented in the Water safety plan manual: step-by-step risk management for drinking-water suppliers, second edition (WHO & IWA, 2023). Refer to Module 3 in the manual for detailed guidance.

WSP teams can use this tool to help identify possible threats to water safety, which will inform the identification of hazards and hazardous events (Module 3).

This tool is intended to support the practical application of the guidance presented in the Water safety plan manual: step-by-step risk management for drinking-water suppliers, second edition (WHO & IWA, 2023). Refer to Module 2 in the manual for detailed guidance.

The checklist below supports water safety plan (WSP) teams with describing the water supply (Module 2). It includes key information to consider and summarize when describing each stage of the water supply, including:

• general system information (including equity- and climate-related aspects);
• source (including surface water and groundwater aspects, and the catchment);
• treatment;
• distribution and storage;
• user practices (including buildings);
• water safety aspects (e.g. national drinking-water quality regulations and standards, historical water quality data, customer notifications and complaints); and
• known or potential problems in the system.

The WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality recommend the water safety plan (‎WSP)‎ approach as the most effective way of ensuring continuous provision of safe drinking-water.

The challenges related to drinking-water supply in rural areas and small towns are of notable concern globally, but the WSP approach has been proven to work effectively in small-scale water supplies. It clearly emphasizes the importance of preventing waterborne disease, and supports communities in dealing with the everyday challenges of maintaining a reliable and safe water supply.

This second, updated edition of WHO’s Water safety plan: a field guide to improving drinking-water safety in small communities provides a step-by-step introduction to the WSP approach and includes a range of ready-to-use templates to assist those involved in rural water supply with developing and implementing their own WSPs.

This package of materials is intended to support countries in developing (or strengthening) national schemes for regulatory auditing of water safety plans. Topics addressed include audit mandates and drivers, standardized audit criteria, auditor qualification and selection processes, financing and other mechanisms for audit functionality and sustainability. The materials are intended to facilitate a stakeholder workshop to discuss the ‘key factors and principles’ for establishing a successful and sustainable audit programme, the output of which is a detailed action plan for the development (or advancement) of a context-appropriate national audit scheme.

The Water Safety Conference 2022 recording are available to the public under the “Conference record” page on the conference webpage. https://watersafety2022.org/conference-record/