Water Safety Plan for Ayodhyapuri ‘Kicked Off’ with Workshop

A short report on the Ayodhyapuri Water Safety Plan Workshop held on 10 August 2010.

Posted by Andrew McMillan to NEWAH Water Safety Planning Project, 14th August 2010, 1:38pm

How many risks or hazards do you think a group of 15 people could find for a simple community water supply involving shallow wells and household bio-sand filters?  On Tuesday 10^th August a NEWAH workshop (facilitated by EWB) sought to find out the answer to this question and begin the process of Water Safety Planning for Ayodhyapuri Village (see location map in theimage gallery).   The workshop was held in Bharatpur of Chitwan District, and participants were from NEWAH, District Health Office, Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office (Bharatpur), and Ayodhyapuri local NGO. 

The workshop presentation can be viewed here … http://www.ewb.org.au/resources/903/1195 .

A Water Safety Plan (WSP) is a holistic approach to drinking water supply involving hazard/risk assessment from catchment to consumer.   Firstly potential hazards in the water supply system are identified and assessed for risk, and then control measures are implemented to address those hazards.  The following stages include validating the control measures and determining appropriate monitoring and continuous improvement strategies for drinking water safety.  The WSP for Ayodhyapuri is a pilot project for NEWAH, and WSP’s for other water supply projects will follow, supported by a new EWB placement (see the current position advertised in Intake 7… http://www.ewb.org.au/opportunities/56/10195#opportunities ).

The NEWAH workshop was a starting point to ensuring that the hazard control measures (many of which have already been implemented by NEWAH and the community) will guarantee the safety of drinking water in Ayodhyapuri for many years to come.  

Now that the initial workshop has been completed there are follow-up actions required, including:-
     - Working together with the Ayodhyapuri community to see whether new control measures are possible and appropriate;
     - Ensuring that existing controls are working (validation); and
     - Looking at how hygiene education and awareness might address the behavioural risks.

There are opportunities for EWB members here – in particular I would love to hear your ideas for any alternative hazard control measures.  Please post your ideas as comments to this article or with the hazard register … [http://www.ewb.org.au/resources/903/1196 ]. 

If you’d like the answer to the question posed at the start of this announcement, you’ll find it by looking at the hazard register under the resources page [http://www.ewb.org.au/resources/903/1196 ].  

For more information about NEWAH please visit their website www.newah.org.np

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