WSD - Water Safety Plans

The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates the adoption of the Water Safety Plan (WSP) to ensure drinking water safety through risk management of the water supply system. The Water Supplies Department (WSD) developed and implemented the departmental WSP in 2007 in accordance with the WHO’s recommendations to ensure drinking water quality from source to distribution. In regard to the internal plumbing systems, WSD has also outlined in the WSP its regulatory, monitoring and advisory role. Moreover, WSD has launched an integrated Drinking Water Quality Management System in 2017 to further strengthen its water quality management via appropriate institutional structure, water quality policy and enhanced WSP ensuring appropriate resource allocation, communication and training/education.

Notwithstanding that the water supplied by WSD is safe to drink, the water quality could be affected in the internal plumbing systems due to various factors, such as the drinking water tank is not properly cleansed, stagnation of water or use of inappropriate plumbing materials. In this connection, WSD has committed to promoting WSP to property owners and management agents on how to develop and implement water safety plan for buildings (WSPB) in accordance with the recommendations of the WHO. WSD has also launched the “Quality Water Supply Scheme for Buildings – Fresh Water (Management System)” (the “Scheme”) to award certificates to encourage property owners’ and management agents’ participation in the Scheme to enhance water quality in their buildings.

Water Safety Plan
for Building Leaflet
For the details of WSPB, please refer to the designated website Water Safety Plan for Buildings.

The WHO welcomed WSD’s actions in devising these guidelines and templates, which are considered conducive to promoting implementation of the WSPB. The guidelines and templates have been uploaded to a website jointly managed by the WHO and the International Water Association for international reference.
Furthermore, WSD has been organising briefings to property management agents and plumbing practitioners in regard to WSPB. A help desk has been set up to provide technical support to property owners and management agents.

Most of the control measures, e.g. locking the water tank cover and regular cleansing of the water tanks, may have already been included in the routine operation and maintenance of the building’s internal plumbing systems. Yet, the WSPB provides a systematic approach to enhance water safety through risk assessments to identify areas in the internal plumbing systems where potential contamination may occur, and implement and monitor the relevant control measures in order to prevent or reduce the risks. Property owners and management agents of those buildings which have developed and implemented the WSPB can apply to WSD for joining the Scheme. Successful applicants will be awarded with a certificate in recognition of their efforts in maintaining their internal plumbing systems and upholding drinking water safety.

The Scheme requires routine general checking (such as routine inspection of water storage tanks) and specific inspection (such as checking the performance of the water pumps) of the internal plumbing system. In general, the property management staff can undertake the general checking, while engaging Qualified Persons (QPs) for the specific inspection. In addition, periodic audits and updates of the WSPB are necessary as they ensure that the WSPB remains effective. Against this, those buildings joining the Scheme need to engage a QP to conduct annual specific inspection and another person (either an internal staff not involved in the implementation of the WSPB or an external third party) to conduct periodic audits. Such specific inspection and audit would generally require about two to three man-days for a typical building. Longer time may be required for a building with more complicated internal plumbing system.