UN OCHA (2020) Humanitarian Needs Overview

This document provides an overview of what information to present and how to do so in the development of the Humanitarian Needs Overview. It should be read alongside the: The HPC Step-by-Step re-asserts the sequence of the needs analysis and planning, with needs analysis directly informing the decision-making with regards to response, whether for the preparation of new plans or adjustments to existing ones.  […]

Noortgate, J., Maes, P. (2010) Public Health Engineering in precarious situations

This handbook supports the implementation of health programmes in deprived environments, in particular in closed settings like refugees and displaced persons camps, in health structure. The purpose is to increase the effectiveness with which relief workers can provide sound water, hygiene and sanitation assistance in precarious situations.

Mufute, N. L. (2007) The development of a risk-of-failure evaluation tool for small dams in Mzingwane catchment

World wide attention is given to the prevention of failure of medium to large sized dams, with little attention being paid to small dams. As a result the physical condition of small dams is generally poor, making them susceptible to failure. However, small reservoirs are an important source of both primary and productive water for rural communities. It is against this background that this study […]

Yang, Z., Zhou, Y., Feng, Z., Rui, X., Zhang, T., Zhang, Z. (2019) A Review on Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration Membranes for Water Purification

Sustainable and affordable supply of clean, safe, and adequate water is one of the most challenging issues facing the world. Membrane separation technology is one of the most cost-effective and widely applied technologies for water purification. Polymeric membranes such as cellulose-based (CA) membranes and thin-film composite (TFC) membranes have dominated the industry since 1980. Although further development of polymeric membranes for better performance is laborious, […]

CWSA (2001) The Rope Pump: Private Sector Technology Transfer From Nicaragua to Ghana

The Nicaraguan rope pump has stimulated widespread interest throughout Central America due to its low cost, efficiency, durability and low maintenance needs. The pump is based on a centuries-old design that was refined during the 1980s and 1990s. Suitable for use at either a community or family level, the pump operates as well as other, more expensive pumps such as the Afridev and India Mark […]

Word Bank Group (2014) Including Persons with Disabilities in Water Sector Operations A Guidance Note

Globally, more than a billion people—approximately 15 percent of the world’s population, or one in seven persons—have disabilities. Of those, 80 percent live in developing countries. This number is expected to increase as the prevalence of disability is impacted by disease, war and conflict, natural disasters, and road traffic injuries, among other factors. In addition, persons over the age of 60 comprise 12 percent of […]

World Bank Group (2018) Solar pumping : the basics

Solar photovoltaic water pumping (SWP) uses energy from solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to power an electric water pump. The entire process, from sunlight to stored energy, is elegant and simple. Over last seven years, the technology and price of solar pumping have evolved dramatically and hence the opportunities it presents. Solar pumping is most competitive in regions with high solar insolation, which include most of […]

The World Bank (2019) Informal water markets in an urbanising world: Some unanswered questions

Delivering safe and sustainable water supplies presents a fundamental challenge for an urbanising planet. Approximately 1.5 million people migrate to cities and their peri-urban fringes each week, and the fastest growth occurs in small to intermediate sized cities where infrastructure and governance capacity lag (Birkmann et al., 2016). Piped water systems are struggling to keep pace. In this context formal water markets have languished, while […]

WHO, IWA (2015) A practical guide to auditing water safety plans

Water safety plans (WPS) have been implemented in every region of the world, and many implementing countries have included WSPs in drinking-water policies or regulations. Enforcement of WSP requirements, as well as general WSP success and sustainability, requires ongoing WSP auditing, i.e. independent and systematic checks of WSP completeness, implementation in practice and effectiveness. The WHO/IWA document A practical guide to auditing water safety plans provides […]

WHO (2019) Results of Round II of the WHO Household Water Treatment Evaluation Scheme

Since the establishment of the International Scheme to Evaluate Household Water Treatment Technologies (the Scheme) in 2014, WHO has been independently evaluating the performance of household water treatment (HWT) technologies in removing microbial contaminants from drinking-water. The results of the evaluation are intended to guide procuring United Nations (UN) agencies and Member States in HWT selection. The report summarizes the results of 19 of 20 HWT […]

WHO (2017) Technical Brief - Boil Water

There are a number of circumstances in which it may be necessary to treat water at the point of use to remove or inactivate microbial pathogens. These include: • failure of control measures, including lack of or improper disinfection and unsafe handling and storage; • emergencies and disasters leading to inadequate sanitation, hygiene and protection of water sources; • uncertain quality of water sources when […]

WHO (2017) Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 4th edition, incorporating the 1st addendum

The fourth edition of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Guidelines for drinking-water quality (GDWQ) builds on over 50 years of guidance by WHO on drinking-water quality, which has formed an authoritative basis for the setting of national regulations and standards for water safety in support of public health. It is the product of significant revisions to clarify and elaborate on ways of implementing its recommendations of […]

WHO (2016) Results of Round I of the WHO International Scheme to Evaluate Household Water Treatment Technologies

Globally, an estimated 1.9 billion people use either an unimproved water source or an improved source that is faecally-contaminated. Furthermore, 502,000 diarrhoeal deaths in low- and middle-income countries can be attributed to insufficient and unsafe drinking-water (WHO, 2014a). The vast majority of these deaths occur in Africa and South-East Asia, mainly among vulnerable populations, including young children, the malnourished and people living with the human […]

WHO (2012) Water Safety Planning for Small Community Water Supplies Step-by-step risk management guidance for drinking-water supplies in small communities

The principles and practice of water safety planning are increasingly being adopted around the world as the basis for the provision of safe and clean drinking-water. This process is most pronounced in urban conglomerates where the institutional infrastructure of municipal corporations, parastatal enterprises or private utilities is conducive to their adoption. Water safety planning has a number of unique characteristics. One of these is its adaptability […]

WHO (2012) WSP training package

WSPs are a risk-based preventative approach to most effectively protect drinking-water safety and are recommended in the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality. WSPs are now being adopted worldwide, but they are not always fully understood by all stakeholders. Face-to-face training is therefore essential to ensure globally successful WSP implementation. The training package consists of three components, a facilitator handbook, a participant workbook and accompanying PowerPoint presentations. […]

WHO (2011) Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 4th edition

This fourth edition of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Guidelines for drinking-water quality builds on over 50 years of guidance by WHO on drinking-water quality, which has formed an authoritative basis for the setting of national regulations and standards for water safety in support of public health. It is the product of significant revisions to clarify and elaborate on ways of implementing its recommendations of contextual […]

WHO (2011) Evaluating household water treatment options Health-based targets and microbiological performance specifications

WHO (2011) Arsenic in Drinking-water Background document for development of WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality

During the preparation of background documents and at expert meetings, careful consideration was given to information available in previous risk assessments carried out by the International Programme on Chemical Safety, in its Environmental Health Criteria monographs and Concise International Chemical Assessment Documents, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives […]

WHO (2006) Guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater - Volume 4 Excreta and greywater use in agriculture

Volume 4 of the Guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater provides information on the assessment and management of risks associated with microbial hazards. It explains requirements to promote the safe use of excreta and greywater in agriculture, including minimum procedures and specific health-based targets, and how those requirements are intended to be used. This volume also describes the approaches used in […]

WHO (2005) How to measure chlorine residual in water

Many of the most common diseases found in traumatized communities after a disaster or emergency are related to drinking contaminated water. The contamination can be from micro-organisms (Table 1) or natural and man made chemicals (Table 2). This fact sheet concentrates on the problems caused by drinking water contaminated by micro-organisms as these are by far the most common and can be reduced by chlorination. […]