The Reliable supply of good safe drinking water is fundamental to a healthy community and to its economic development. Establishment of an effective management framework to achieve this goal is therefore of critical importance.

The Bonn Charter for Safe Drinking Water provides a high-level framework describing the operational and institutional arrangements that are basic requirements for managing water supplies from catchment to consumer.

Having been developed by senior industry professionals from regulatory authorities, the water industry, members’ associations and research institutes, the Charter is broad in scope and will be of value to all those responsible for provision of good, safe drinking water, taking into account local circumstances.

The Charter will be accompanied by an implementation guide containing further advice, case-studies, links and other information to help guide implementation of the Charter in the jurisdictions adopting it.

The World Health organisation (WHO) recognises the need for such a management framework and has released the 3rd edition of its Drinking Water Quality Guidelines. Among other things, the Guidelines establish the concept of a framework for safe drinking water, comprising health-based standards, water safety plans and independent regulation. The WHO Guidelines and the Bonn Charter are interrelated and complementary documents.

It is hoped the implementation of the Bonn Charter and adoption of he processes set out in the WHO Guidelines will provide greater surety in the provision of drinking water, which, it’s believed, will cover the spectra between well-established and developing systems, both large and small.