ADOPTION OF WATER SAFETY PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF URBAN WATER SUPPLY

BY Eng. PHILIP G. GICHUKIMANAGING DIRECTOR

NAIROBI CITY WATER AND SEWERAGE COMPANY

Situation analysis on water supply in Kenya Fundamentals of water safety Concept of water safety plans Critical factors considered in adoption of water

safety plan concept Implementation of water safety plan in Nairobi

Water Company WSP implementation benefits Critical success factors Conclusion

Kenya is a water scarce country, with water availability standing at 647m3 per capita against the global benchmark of 1000m3.

Water supply and sanitation in Kenya is characterized by low levels of access. Though access to safe water is estimated at 60% in the urban areas, this reduces to 20% within the informal settlements.

Water availability is essential for all lives including those of humans, but good quality water guarantees well-being and contribute to sustainable development. ◦ Delivery of safe drinking water is vital for protecting public health and of

promoting secure livelihoods in urban areas.

Very often, however, assessment of water safety is limited to occasional tests of water quality and insufficient attention is paid to the proactive management of water safety.

To ensure the delivery of safe drinking water, it is important that water safety objectives are established that takes into account exposures and risk in order to make informed and balanced judgment about the level of health protection to be provided.

World Health Organization (WHO) have identified Water Safety Plans (WSP) as a management system that will ensure the delivery of safe drinking water. This entails:

• an assessment to determine whether the water supply chain from catchment to consumer can deliver safe drinking water to the point of consumption;

• monitoring and assurance of the identified critical control points and measures in the water supply chain.

• management plans documenting the system assessment, monitoring and actions to be taken during normal operation and incident conditions to secure water safety;

• Independent public health surveillance of water safety.A water safety plan may therefore be described as a tool for water managers to ensure water quality and monitor the whole water supply system regardless of its size and complexity.

Water safety plans have been adopted by a number of developed and developing countries. Plans can vary in size and complexity as appropriate for the setting but they commonly identify one catchment area, its distribution system, and associated consumption levels

According to IWA, WSP provide a framework for proactive, systematic and effective management and surveillance of drinking water supplies based on a preventative risk-based approach

According to UNHABITAT, the realization of health, operational and financial benefits accrued through Water Safety Plans implementation (WSP) has contributed to a growing evidence base that it is the most effective means to consistently provide safe drinking water.

In South Africa, Rand Water developed WSP as a process based control of the quality of water in the supply system. The main goal of WSPs was to identify and eliminate all the possible risks in the water supply system, that may have a potential risks to public health from catchment through the distribution network to the consumers taps

WSPs have been developed to organize and systematize a long history of management practices applied to drinking water and to ensure the applicability of these practices to the management of drinking water quality

Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company is in a process of implementing the water safety plans. ◦ The company intends to move away from the

conventional monitoring of water quality and upscale to an output based quality assurance which is a more reliable process monitoring.

◦ Under the WSP the company is undertaking risk assessment and management in the water supply process from catchment to the tap.

◦ System maps and flow diagrams are being developed to assist in identification of hazardous events in the overall distribution system.

◦ Under IWA guidance and support NWC is partnering with Mombasa and Moshi Water on a WSP Programmes

Under IWA guidance and support NWC is partnering with Mombasa and Moshi Water on a WSP Programmes

NWC hosted IWA conference held in Nairobi in June 2011, where the need to use water safety plans in the water utilities was demonstrated.

Increased internal and external confidence in the product (water quality) Creation of unity in diversity towards water quality assurance Improvement in information gathering, communication, processing, decision

making, financial control Improving the profiles of the people who take part in the water quality

management Improves the speed of reaction (turnaround time in problem solving),

improved decision making Good risk management practices Excellent knowledge flow through the participants in the supply chain

Reduced uncertainty Obligation and buy in from all parties from top to bottom (KPAS, KPIs in performance

contracts for all managers) Understanding the supply system contributes to accurate identification of bottle necks,

accountabilities, opportunities for process and information optimization, Management processes that become a tool for training and a memory for the organization WSP implementation is known to have facilitated development of early warning systems,

for example detection of microbiological overloads before disinfection through the use of the hazards analysis critical control points (HACCP) which allows the monitoring of microbiological hazards (algal cells, E.coli, Total coliforms, protozoa) at critical control points (CCPs) rather than relying mainly on end-point remediation like chlorination. This approach has reduced the chances of risk of infection to consumers and Accurate identification of components of a good management system

The success of the Water safety plan depend on1. Getting the right people to spearhead2. Establishing corporate commitment to water quality3. Understanding the supply system 4. Understanding the risks around the supply system from

catchment to taps5. Understanding and implementing risk control measures6. Monitoring the effectiveness of risk control measures7. Understanding operations management processes-

competent operators8. Identification & Developing appropriate tools and

management plans (for example incident management plans)

The WSP focuses on the whole supply chain, hence if implemented effectively the benefits will be visible across the whole supply chain

Raw water becomes important for people to understand and change their behavior to support source water protection initiatives.

Design/upgrade of infrastructure (booster station/reservoirs) become important because you understand system needs

WSPs have prompted a clear commitment to the development and implementation of a set of preventive risk management activities to support public health protection initiatives.

WSPs provide a platform for continuous improvement, evaluation and verification processes.

The END

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