National Norms and Standards relating to Environmental Health

SECTION 14:MONITORING OF DRINKING WATER QUALITY DURING EMERGENCIES / DISASTERS1. During emergencies, in cases of relocation of settlements, people affected by the emergency/disastermust be provided with an adequate supply of potable water and sanitation facilities.2. Drinking water supplied in emergencies or disasters situations must conform to the specifications asset out in the SANS 241 with regards to bacteriological, chemical and physical quality.3. If tankers are used, care must be taken to ascertain that they are suitable for delivering safe drinkingwater and it must first be disinfected before used for potable water distribution.4. Tankers must be loaded with water from a treated supply.5. EHPs should monitor water supply closely during emergencies for safety of consumption. Monitoringshould include sanitary inspections, water sampling and analysis and monitoring of water treatmentprocesses.6. A risk management approach should be implemented in emergencies in order to draw a risk profile todirect resources and interventions where required.7. EH should ensure that a community affected by an emergency is made aware of and educated on thefollowing:• The risks to health of the use of contamination of water,• Possible contamination of water from the collection point to the point of use,• The means to reduce or eliminate risks e.g. household treatment of water.8. During an emergency, where there is a concern about drinking water quality that cannot beaddressed through conventional treatment processes, then household treatment methods must alsobe evaluated and implemented.9. EHPs, Health Promoters and other stakeholders charged with the responsibility of providing healthand hygiene education, should educate the community affected, and those that use unimprovedwater sources on the following household treatment methods:• Boiling water and cooling before consumption.• Adding sodium or calcium hypochlorite solution, such as household bleach (one teaspoon) to a20-25 litres bucket of water, mixing thoroughly and allow to stand for about 30 min prior toconsumption, turbid water should be clarified by settling and/or filtration before disinfection.• Using sunlight or Solar Disinfection (SODIS) method for drinking water by vigorously shakingsmall volumes of water in a clean, transparent container, such as a soft drink bottle, for 20seconds and exposing the container to sunlight for at least 6 hrs.• Applying other approved products such as tablets, or other dosing techniques to disinfect thewater, with or without clarification by flocculation or filtration.10. Chemicals used for the household/emergency of water must be approved by the Department ofHealth; Environmental Health prior to its use by the consumers to assess the sustainability of suchchemical such that it does not cause harm to human health.11. Containers that are hygienic and appropriate to local needs and habits should be available for thecollection and storage of water to be used for washing, cooking and bathing at household level.12. Adequate sanitation facilities must available for use by people affected by disasters/ emergency.13. EHPs must ensure that indiscriminate defaecation is strongly discouraged, especially where watersources are close to dwelling areas and in high density areas.14. Monitoring of water quality in emergencies should also include water quality assessment and theinvestigation of disease outbreaks, or the evaluation of hygiene promotion activities as required.15. During an emergency, water must be closely monitored for residual chlorine at the treatment works.To ensure proper levels of turbidity and drinking water must be disinfected and an adequatedisinfectant (residual chlorine) must be maintained in the system.16. Health information should be monitored to ensure that water quality can be rapidly investigated wherethere is a possibility that water quality may contribute to a health problem and that treatmentprocesses, particularly disinfection –can be modified as required.Emergency management/response planning1. EHPs in collaboration with other role-players should ensure that an emergency management plan/emergency response plan is in place for emergencies such a sewage leaks, spillages and floods,should an emergency occur.DOH. Norms and standards for environmental health in South Africa Feb 2013 105