rapid assessment of drinking-water quality in the republic of tajikistan

quality. The Republican SES hopes to attract additional funding in the near future to ensure a
continuous supply of consumables, and to purchase additional test kits for rayon SESs. The
improvement of rayon SES laboratories remains a high priority.
The introduction of an electronic database (i.e. SanMan) for recording and analysing waterquality
data was the first of its kind in Tajikistan. It was received positively, because previously
all monitoring data for drinking-water quality were recorded on paper only. The Republican SES
wishes to continue using the SanMan database, and in the long term to extend its use to the oblast
and rayon SESs, and develop a unified, electronic database and national reporting scheme. The
Republican SES is interested in developing a Russian version of the database if funding can be
raised.
4.5 Suggestions for improving the RADWQ methodology
The RADWQ handbook was not always clear and self-explanatory in its description of the
methodology. It is therefore suggested that the relevant sections in the handbook be improved,
using the presentation materials and worked examples the international consultants prepared for
the training course. A Russian language resource and training package on implementing
RADWQ projects would also be helpful.
In Tajikistan, the survey methodology could be largely followed from the RADWQ handbook.
As required by the methodology, the rayon database provided information about the numbers of
supply schemes per technology and the prevailing population served at three administrative levels.
As outlined in Section 2.2, however, two deviations had to be made. First, when determining the
number of supply zones in the utility piped supplies, it was necessary to reduce the zone size from
5000 to 2500 people, otherwise the total number of supply zones required (according to primary
stratification) could not have been reached in Tajikistan. Second, a repeat sampling approach was
taken for utility piped supplies, in which each sampling point was visited twice. This halved the
number of sampling points or clusters needed for the study. These changes allowed the survey to
move forward, and it is recommended that design flexibility be allowed in future RADQW
projects, particularly for smaller countries where the population served by utility supplies is
relatively small.
The RADQW methodology could better consider the issue of seasonality. Assessments should
cover at least two seasons, to give a more realistic picture of the water quality in a region or
country, and to develop a better understanding of water-quality changes over the year. The issue
of seasonality could be addressed by a repeat sampling approach, in which each water
supply/sampling point selected is visited twice. This would keep the overall sample size constant,
but not increase costs and time for carrying out the assessment. However, the number of clusters
to be selected would be halved, and thus the geographical spread of the assessment reduced.
The RADQW survey considered only improved water souces, even though in Tajikistan more
than half of the population consumes water from unimproved sources. While this was a
legitimate approach for the pilot study, future rapid assessments should include all supply
technologies that serve more than 5% of the population.
The standard set of sanitary risk inspection forms need to be better adapted to the local conditions,
as not all of the questions were applicable or relevant to the Tajik situation.
In conclusion, the parameters used in the RADQW assessment were sufficient to produce a snapshot
of water quality in Tajikistan.
37