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Implementation of drinking water safety plans and lessons from the Pacific islands
01.07.2011
In response to a growing realization that safe water is limited, the United Nations has declared access to clean water a basic human right. To protect drinking water safety, conventional practice in many Pacific island countries has been to monitor the quality of the treated drinking water at the end of the supply chain through water quality testing and assessing compliance against standards. Consequently, the World Health Organization (WHO) now promotes the use of drinking water safety planning to assess and manage the risks associated with drinking water from catchment to consumer. Through the support provided by Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and WHO many Pacific island countries have developed systemspecific drinking water safety plans.