Abstract

Globally, many small villages and communities receive their drinking water from various water sources. It is not certain that the drinking water will be clean. Furthermore, sanitation facilities are often less well managed in these places, which may lead to microbial contamination of the drinking water sources or the environment. This can also happen in Europe. People can become ill if they come into contact with these pathogens, for example through drinking water or contaminated crops. Safe management is important to minimise the risk of becoming ill via drinking water and sanitation.

In 2021, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM, the Netherlands) and the German Environment Agency (UBA) developed an approach that integrates safe management of small-scale drinking water supply and sanitation services. This method, called integrated Water and Sanitation Safety Planning (iWSSP), identifies contamination routes of drinking water and sanitation. In this way, measures can be taken to prevent infections. This approach contributes to clean drinking water and safe sanitation.

In this report, RIVM and UBA provide tools for people who are operating within small rural systems and seeking to implement iWSSP for the benefit of their communities. The combined method is particularly desirable when villages or communities have limited resources. The approach can be used worldwide. For iWSSP, the approaches developed separately by the World Health Organization (WHO) for both drinking water and sanitation systems have been merged. iWSSP consists of six steps to assess and manage potential risks of drinking water and sanitation. The six steps of iWSSP are briefly explained. Further, the report provides practical tips and ready-to-use documents to support implementing the approach in small drinking water and sanitation systems. All six steps must be completed to implement iWSSP fully in small systems.