Water safety plan: a field guide to improving drinking-water safety in small communities

Sufficient, acceptable and safe drinking-water is a key prerequisite for good health, economic development and sustainable family livelihoods in rural communities. The water safety plan (WSP) approach is the most effective way of ensuring the provision of safe drinking-water in small-scale water supply systems.

This field guide provides a step-by-step introduction to the WSP approach and a range of ready-to-use templates to assist those locally involved in rural water supply to develop and implement their own WSPs.

The field guide particularly addresses the rural community members responsible for the operation and management of their water supplies, as well as the staff of the local health and water supply offices responsible for safeguarding drinking-water quality and nongovernmental organizations that support drinking-water safety in rural communities.