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 including identification of areas where potential contamination in the internal plumbing systems may occur and devising appropriate control measures. 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 inside services, WSD has also spelt out 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 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 cleaned, or the internal water supply system is contaminated due to stagnation of water or use of inappropriate plumbing materials. In view of this, 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, and will enhance the existing "Quality Water Supply Scheme for Buildings - Fresh Water (Plus)" and launch the “Quality Water Supply Scheme for Buildings – Fresh Water (Management System)” (the “Scheme”) to provide incentive to encourage property owners and management agents to participate in the Scheme to enhance water quality in their buildings.

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

The WHO welcomed WSD’s action in devising these guidelines and templates, which are considered conducive to promoting the 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.
Further, WSD has organised briefings to property management agents and plumbing practitioners in regard to the development of WSPB and more will be organised as and when required. A help desk has been set up to provide technical support to property owners and management agents.

It is possible that most of the control measures, e.g. locking the water tank covers and regular cleaning of the water tanks, 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 firstly through assessments along the whole water supply chain of the building, to identify areas where potential contamination in the internal plumbing systems 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 uphold 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). In general, the property management staff can undertake the work of DP involving general monitoring of control measures, while the QP engaged could be responsible for the more specific monitoring duties. In addition, once the WSPB is up and running for a period of time, it is also recommended that periodic compliance check-ups and updates of the WSPB are necessary as they ensure that the WSPB remains a powerful and useful tool for continuously upholding the water quality in the building. Against this, in addition to routine inspection and cleaning of water storage tanks, those buildings joining the Scheme need to engage a QP to conduct annual specific monitoring and another person (either an internal staff not involved in the implementation of the WSPB or an external third party) to conduct periodic compliance check-ups. Such annual monitoring and check-ups would require about two to three man-day for a building with general internal plumbing layout. Apart from the above, it may take a longer time to develop or update the WSPB for more complicated internal plumbing systems.