1.7 WHO/UNICEF International Network on HWTS - Guest Lecturer: B. Majuru

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From the course by École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Introduction to Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage

226 ratings

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Introduction to Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage

226 ratings

It is well known that water treatment at the household level can lead to dramatic improvements in drinking water quality. But does Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTS) also have global relevance? What are the potential treatment solutions and how do they function? Is there a standard strategy for successful HWTS implementation, or can we identify key components which make programs more likely to succeed? In this course you will learn about the most important water treatment methods at household level, successful implementation strategies and about assessing the impact of HWTS. MOOC SERIES “SANITATION, WATER AND SOLID WASTE FOR DEVELOPMENT” : This course is one of four in the series “Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development". FRANçAIS: Dans ce MOOC, vous allez apprendre les plus importantes méthodes de traitement de l'eau au niveau des ménages, les stratégies pour une mise en œuvre réussie et l’évaluation de l’impact du traitement et stockage sûr de l'eau à domicile. ESPAñOL: Aprende acerca de los métodos más importantes de tratamiento de agua a nivel domiciliario, de estrategias de implementación eficientes y de la evaluación del impacto del tratamiento doméstico y almacenamiento seguro del agua.

From the lesson

Introduction to HWTS

The course begins with a review of the public health impacts of unsafe drinking water. We define physical, chemical, and microbial aspects of drinking water quality and present the major classes of pathogens. Information about pathways for faecal contamination of drinking water are followed by an introduction to the concept of HWTS and the principal technologies.

1.1 Introduction to the course2:04

1.2 Global burden of disease15:27

1.3 Water-borne pathogens11:41

1.4 How does drinking water become unsafe?12:58

1.5 What is HWTS?6:58

1.6 SDG Baselines: Drinking Water Services13:35

1.7 WHO/UNICEF International Network on HWTS - Guest Lecturer: B. Majuru5:08

1.8 Key messages - Week 11:24

Meet the Instructors

Rick Johnston
Dr.
Joint Monitoring Programme / WHO
Sara Marks
Dr.
Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development / Eawag

I am happy to introduce our guest lecturer Dr Batsi Majuru,

a technical officer at the World Health Organization.

Hi, I am Batsi Majuru from the World Health Organization.

I work on the household water treatment and regulation of drinking water quality.

I am here today to talk about the International Network

and household water treatment and safe storage.

In this module we'll take a brief look at the background of the Network

and why it was established.

We will discuss the mission and objectives of the Network

and look at a few examples of the Network's activities.

The Network was established by the World Health Organization

with the objective of accelerating health gains

to those without reliable access to safe drinking water.

At the time of the establishment of the Network in 2003

the field of household water treatment and safe storage

was rapidly evolving.

And it was difficult to keep up with the various developments.

Research was fragmented and not always accessible.

Practitioners were diverse,

and working initiatives were often disconnected.

And there was no coherent voice on all those various developments

to enable adoption of policy.

The Network was formed as a global platform

to bring together these various entities and coordinate efforts.

The Network aims to contribute to a significant reduction

in waterborne, in water related vector-borne diseases,

especially among vulnerable populations

by promoting household water treatment and safe storage

as a key component of community targeted environmental health programs.

Vulnerable populations include children,

people whose immune systems are compromised

and of course those who do not have access

to safe and reliable water supplies.

The mission's statement of the Network also emphasizes

that household water treatment and safe storage

is not an alternative to improve water supplies,

but it is a complement to infrastructural improvements.

It also emphasizes that household water treatment

should be integrated within wider public and environmental health programs

to maximize health impact.

To fulfill this mission the Network has forced strategic objectives

that are centered around advocacy,

communication, research, implementation and scaling up.

The network is coordinated by the World Health Organization

and the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Communication support within the Network

is provided by the University of North Carolina.

Today the Network has over 150 participating organizations,

including academic institutions, the private sector,

non-governmental organizations, policy makers and donors

and brings together all these entities to share experiences,

know-how and find new and effective ways

of getting safe water to those who need it most.

Some examples of the network's activities include regional workshops

to support development of national policies and frameworks.

These workshops bring together government officials,

donors and implementers working in various countries

and have led the development of over twenty national action plans

and household water treatment and safe storage.

Here is a picture of one of these workshops in Lao.

The Network has also developed resources and best practices,

including the toolkit for monitoring and evaluation

of household water treatment and safe storage.

In addition the Network has been advocating

for integration of household water treatment and safe storage

within key public health efforts,

including maternal and child health, nutrition and HIV.

The latest research and activities

related to household water treatment and safe storage

is regularly shared through the Network newsletter.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Network

please visit the website.

You can sign up for the listserve

and be able to receive

the regular newsletters and announcements,

participate in webinars and hear what's going on in this field

and share your feedback on the Network's tools and resources.

So, in summary, ensuring that health gains

from household water treatment and safe storage

are realized by those who need it most

requires coordinated effort across various disciplines and sectors.

The WHO/UNICEF HWTS Network is the global forum

that brings together these various entities.

Thank you.

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