WHO SAFETY PLANS: EVALUATION OF WATER SUPPLY FROM CATCHMENT TO CONSUMERS

ABSTRACT

World Health Organization has instructed all water service providers to incorporate the Water Safety Plan (WSP) into their water supply system as it is the only means of ensuring that safe water is supplied to the consumers. WSP encompasses all risk assessment ad hazard identification from the catchment to the consumer towards preventing contamination at the source and also reducing recontamination of the water. The aim of this study is to assess the water supply system in University of Benin, Ugbowo Campus from the catchment to the consumers in order to provide vital information for WSP implementation in the Campus. This assessment was carried out using key informant interviews, questionnaire survey and water quality analysis of the water supplied to collect data from the catchment area, treatment, distribution and consumers. Results shows that the water supplied was very acidic (which ranges from 4.7- 5.7) and it may be as a result of the social economic activities which includes improper disposal of waste materials, inorganic farming around the catchment area. From the interview, it was reported that only the UNIBEN Water Scheme has a treatment unit which is obsolete, however there are no treatment system at the other two units and consumers on the other hand do not treat their water and as such they suffered from diseases such as typhoid (30.6%), cholera (13.7%), dysentery (9.2%), intestinal worms (4%) and others (10%). Majority of the consumers reported that the water appears dirty this may be as a result of the intermittent type of water supplied which leads to passage of contaminants through cracks into the distribution system. It was reported that hygiene practices among the consumers were very poor as most of them do not clean their storage facilities regularly. The water supply system is exposed to various hazards at the different stages of distribution and as such, the development and implementation of WSP by stakeholders is the way forward to ensure safe drinking water is supplied on Ugbowo Campus.