Status of risk-based approach and national framework for safe drinking water in small water supplies of the Nordic water sector

Abstract

Reliable safe water supply is a pillar of society and a key to public health. The Nordic countries have an abundance of clean fresh water as a source for drinking water supplies. They have followed developments in safeguarding water, both the recommendations of the World Health Organization framework for safe drinking water and European legislation. Worldwide, including the Nordic countries, small water supplies are less compliant with water safety regulation. The forthcoming EU directive on drinking water require risk-based approaches and improved transparency on water quality. This research looks at the Nordic frameworks for safe water supply, with emphasis on risk-based approaches and smaller systems. We analyzed the legal frameworks for safe water, the structure of the water sector across the Nordic countries and explored how prepared these countries are to meet these requirements. Our findings show that, while legal requirements are mostly in place, delivery of information to the public needs to be improved. Most Nordic countries are in the process of implementing risk-based management in large and medium size water supplies, whereas small supplies are lagging. We conclude that a key to success is increased training and support for small supplies. We suggest wider adoption of the Nordic model of cooperation with benchmarking of safe water for all to transfer knowledge between the countries. This work provides insights into challenges and opportunities for the Nordic countries and provides insights relevant to countries worldwide in their effort towards realization of SDG Target 6.1.

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“…In Finland and other Nordic countries, over 90% of households are within the municipal water supply system (Gunnarsdottir et al, 2020 ). Approximately 10% of the total Finnish population uses water for drinking, washing and irrigation from private single-household wells.…”

Sustainable Drinking Water Security Strategic Plan: A Case Study of Juba South Sudan

“…The drinking water truck conceded the faster water supply that can help emergencies such as Natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes. This technology represents a quick solution for providing water for areas with no other potable water sources; It provides job opportunities and income for tanker trucks' distributors and owners [61,62]. However, this system's disadvantages are water source is not always verified, and the system is dependent on the trucks [63].…”

Success Factors for Water Safety Plan Implementation in Small Drinking Water Supplies in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

“…Some factors identified in this study have also been noted as enabling environments in highand low-income urban settings, indicating some continuity and cross-over of beneficial activities regardless of the setting/income level. These include the use of guideline documentation, tools, national training materials, training facilitators, international collaboration, and the role of pilot studies and sharing examples [18,71,73]. Knowledge sharing, stakeholder involvement, training, champions, and investment in monitoring and ongoing WSP verification are also noted as WSP enablers in low-income urban settings [15].…”

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