AQUELIA JOURNAL / GLOBAL
Small water supplies: planning for everyday operation.
WHO’s 2024 guidance treats small supplies as systems with their own operating realities. It offers a framework for asking practical questions before choosing equipment.
WHO guidance published ·
Small supplies have a distinct context
WHO published guidance for small drinking-water supplies on February 15, 2024. It covers supplies managed by households, communities and professional entities, and recognises operational, technical and resource challenges. The guidance is primarily aimed at decision-makers responsible for regulatory frameworks and support programmes.[1]
Look at risks before they become surprises
The accompanying sanitary inspection packages describe on-site evaluations, generally organised through a checklist, to identify priority risk factors. Each package combines an inspection form with technical guidance and management advice. These are tools for a structured review, not a certificate issued to an individual supply or product.[2]
Prepare useful information
For a discussion with the responsible local team, assemble a simple description of the source, the route to users, the people operating the system and the records available. Note unanswered questions explicitly. The aim is to make the setting understandable before asking any equipment supplier to explain how a proposed function fits.[1]
Keep guidance and local requirements distinct
International guidance provides a shared reference, while the relevant authorities define the local framework. Read the documents with that distinction in mind. Neither an inspection checklist nor a product brochure should be presented as a complete assessment of a supply whose conditions have not been documented.[1][2]
The key to reading it
Begin with the system and its everyday operation. A clear local brief makes technical documentation more useful and keeps assumptions visible.
EVIDENCE YOU CAN CHECK
Sources and documents.
- 01
World Health Organization · WHO
Guidelines for drinking-water quality: small water supplies15/02/2024 · ISBN 978-92-4-008874-0; global guidance for small supplies. - 02
World Health Organization · WHO
Sanitary inspection packages – a supporting tool for the Guidelines for drinking water quality: small water supplies15/02/2024 · ISBN 978-92-4-008900-6; on-site inspection forms, technical guidance and management advice.
Sources consulted on September 15, 2026. Original writing and translation. Data is attributed to its publishers and does not establish the performance of Aquelia equipment.