Water and Wastewater Quality Monitoring Guidelines for Water Utilities (second edition).

These Guidelines provide guidance to Water Supply and Sanitation Authorities (WSSAs) to monitor water and wastewater quality with a view of ensuring that the water and wastewater services are provided to protect the consumers’ health. This will be accomplished by WSSAs by developing and implementing their own quality monitoring programs for water supply and wastewater effluent. The overall objective is to ensure that the WSSAs meet the National Water Quality and Wastewater Discharge Standards for the wellbeing and safety of the people. Specifically, the guidelines are intended to: (i) Provide guidance to WSSAs in the steps involved in preparation of their own monitoring programmes; (ii) Provide guidance on how WSSAs should integrate climate risks and issues into monitoring activities (Climate Change Resilient WSSAs); (iii) Provide guidance to WSSAs in the implementation of Climate Resilience – Water Safety Plans; and (iv) Provide quick reference for all stakeholders in issues related to water and wastewater quality monitoring activities in the country.
The four Chapters of the Guidelines reflect the key stages of Water and Wastewater Quality Monitoring as follows: (i) Chapter 1 covers a general introduction highlighting the background, objectives, scope and rationale for the Guidelines; (ii) Chapter 2 highlights the legal and institutional framework within which the water and wastewater services provisions operates; (iii) Chapter 3 covers the drinking water quality monitoring procedure which include the planning process, water sampling and analysis, interpretation and reporting; (iv) Chapter 4 presents the wastewater quality monitoring procedure which also include the planning process, water sampling and analysis, interpretation and reporting; and (v) The last section of the Guidelines embraces the appendices which basically are the necessary tools to aid the implementation of these Guidelines including checklist, template for preparation of Water Quality Monitoring Plan, limits for key characteristic parameters and reporting templates.