Surveillance of drinking water quality in rural areas

Pilot projects for the surveillance of drinking water quality were carried out in Peru, Indonesia and Zambia, under the WHO Guidelines, Volume 3 for Drinking Water Control in Small Community Supplies. The Peruvian systems were all piped systems, some with water treatment plants. Indonesia had a large variety of water supply facilities, and Zambia relied primarily on groundwater. Sanitary surveillance teams were selected and trained in water-related diseases, bacteriological and chemical sampling procedures and in some cases, laboratory and field analytical procedures. The results were quite encouraging, although all three projects suffered some from local and national management problems. A high percentage of the open and hand-pumped dug wells in Indonesia and the piped surface water systems in Peru had heavy coliform contamination. A need for refresher courses was indentified as well as need for increased coordination of the surveillance team. The book outlines in detail the infrastructure of the three pilot areas, and gives examples of the training questionnaires, bacteriological and physio-chemical analytical techniques and sanitation surveys which were applicable in all three areas. Remedial actions, which varied between projects, are also discussed.