Protecting Ground Water for Health: Managing the Quality of Drinking-water Sources (WHO Drinking-Water Quality)

Protecting drinking-water resources is a key barrier in preventing health effects from pathogens and toxic chemicals. Effective action builds on cooperation amongst practitioners in many fields - drinking-water supply, health, environment, land-use planning, agriculture and many more.

Protecting Groundwater for Health provides a structured approach to analyzing hazards to groundwater quality, assessing the risk they may cause for a specific supply, setting priorities in addressing these and developing management strategies for their control.

This book presents tools useful for local and technical staff through to senior managers to assist them in developing and implementing strategies to protect groundwater for health.

In 25 chapters arranged into five sections, this book summarizes which pathogens and chemicals are relevant to human health, how they are transported, reduced, removed or retarded; provides practical guidance on characterizing the drinking-water catchment area and assessing potential health hazards; provides guidance on prioritizing both hazards and management responses; presents key information on potential management actions and explains their integration into a comprehensive Water Safety Plan from catchment to consumer; and describes policy, land-use planning and implementation of pollution prevention, groundwater with overviews of specific management approaches applicable to agriculture, sanitation, industry, mining, military sites, waste disposal, and traffic.