1. Household water treatment in the context of the SDGs
Fiorella Polo, WASH Advisor , UNICEF HQ HTWS Network Meeting, UNC , 10 October
What do we mean by “safely-managed drinking water”?

2. Water safety: Challenges and opportunities ahead
6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
Indicator Population using safely managed drinking water services
Definition: Population using an improved drinking water source which is:
located on premises,
available when needed, and
free of faecal and priority chemical contamination
What do we mean by “safely-managed drinking water”?
Accessibility
Availability
Quality

3. Safely Managed Drinking Water
What is water safety and why should water safety be a priority?
Water safety is an “ unfinished business” from the MDGs: “Our sector focused on providing “improved sources”, but this did not always translate into providing “ really safe water”; (Cecilia, UNICEF HQ)
Water safety is now a priority in the SDGs: Safely managed water is the new indicator for SDG 6.1;
Water safety means: ensuring water is free from harmful pathogens and elevated
What do we mean by “safely-managed drinking water”?

4. Progressive realization
MDG/SDG
Service ladder
Progressive realization
Monitoring ladder
SDG 6.1
Safely managed drinking water
On premises, available when needed and meets water quality standards
All developed countries, and some developing countries
MDG continuity
Basic water
Improved facility within 30 minutes round trip collection time
Most developing and some developed countries report
Unimproved water
Facility which does not protect against contamination
Most developing and some developed
countries report
No service
Surface water
All countries report (applies to developing countries)
Developing Developed
Safely-managed drinking water is the top level for the proposed service ladder, running from no service to s-m
This ladder aims to capture progressive realisation of the HRWS
It is also a monitoring ladder, increasing sophistication of monitoring allows countries to track higher levels of service - in many cases these may happen in tandem.

5. Implications of new indicators for Country X
Let’s look at the policy implication for Country X, which achieved the MDG target, nearly the entire population – 98% - lives in households which use improved drinking-water facilities.
[Click]. Only 3% of those facilities take more than 30 minutes to collect water, so we would see 95% of the population meeting the new definition of a «basic drinking-water service» - (an improved source within 30 minutes).
[Click]. We don’t have much data on «availability when needed» but if we assume that all piped water supplies (7% of the population) are intermittent and assume that all boreholes deliver water when needed, we estimate 89% meet this part of the definition. Of course those are both crude assumptions
[Click]. Most of these supplies, in both urban and rural areas, are boreholes, and most are on premises. So 74% of the population would meet the «on premises» part of the safely managed indicator.
[Click]. However if we adjust that 98% for water quality, we find that only 58% of sources are free from faecal contamination.
[Click]. This preliminary analysis shows that total population meeting the new higher service threshold of safely managed drinking water services would be around 58%. Microbial contamination at the sources is what drives the numbers. By the way, the survey found that piped water supplies were more heavily contaminated than tubewells, so as piped water coverage increases, safely managed drinking-water services could actually go down, unless water quality is improved in the piped systems.

6. Where will the data come from? The focus will be on safety at source
Criterion
Household Surveys
Regulatory authorities
Availability
Is water always available when needed from your main drinking water source?
Reported hours of service (piped)
Accessibility
Is the main drinking water source located in the dwelling yard or plot?
Reported household connections (piped supplies)
Quality
Testing for fecal (and chemical) contamination in household surveys
Compliance with national standards, WSPs
Affordability?

7. UNICEF will also support evidence generation at HH level

8. UNICEF will also support evidence generation at HH level
“Integrating water quality modules in MICS/ LSMS/ DHS and other national household surveys can be more cost effective than separate surveys” “These modules combine data at source and data at household level and piggy-back on a statistically solid methodology”
These surveys can be a powerful tool to prompt action/ programmatic response as well as a toll to measure progress against the SDG every 3-4 years.
What do we mean by “safely-managed drinking water”?

9. Field Kits for HH surveys
Arsenic
Portable kit
Three chemicals
Results in 10 minutes
E. coli, Other Coliforms
Portable filtration
Pre-poured testing plates
Incubate 24 hours

10. There is a momentum for advocacy at national and global level
“Ride on the national momentum created by the SDGs. E.g. In Indonesia the President will soon issue a decree on SDGs: we are going to present results on water safety to SDG committee ”
Global platforms such as Sanitation & Water for All: for example “include Water Safety in plans and commitments to be presented at next High Level Meeting”
What do we mean by “safely-managed drinking water”?

11. WHO & UNICEF support a shift towards risk management
Health Based targets
Public health context and outcomes
Water safety plans
What do we mean by “safely-managed drinking water”?
Surveillance

12. Water Safety Plans are credited with cost-effectiveness
Risks analysis
Water safety plans
Control measures
development
Monitoring of barriers
What do we mean by “safely-managed drinking water”?
From catchment
To source
To household

13. Which role for Network? Risks analysis Barriers development
HTWS as one of many barriers:
Specific circumstances
- Limited timeframe
Join efforts at advocacy level?
Risks analysis
Emergency?
Barriers development
Water safety plans
Focus on HH?
- Promote evidence
Promote behaviour Beyond product
Safe transport / storage
Monitoring of barriers
Estend to all treatment? Inclcuding at source?
What do we mean by “safely-managed drinking water”?
From catchment
To source
To household