WHO /DAFT WSP Partnership Review Meeting WPRO, Manila, Philippines

1. WHO /DAFT WSP Partnership Review MeetingWPRO, Manila, Philippines 24-26 June 2014 Lao PDR Presented by: Mr.Soulivanh SOUKSAVATH National Professional Officer for Environmental Health

2. Key features What is going well • WSP initiated in provincial, district, village and healthcare facility levels since 2006 • All (17) large provincial and 10 small town water supply enterprises developed WSP • District and provincial staffs of 4 provinces trained on rural water safety planning • 6 rural villages developed rural WSP • 20 national trainers for urban WSP trained, and national trainers for rural WSP, training manual, and IEC materials for training prepared • DWQS approved by Minister of Health in 2014 and WSP is mandatory requirement for improving water quality to meet this standard • Water quality surveillance guide and training manual for regular monitoring and surveillance are being developed

3. Successful case of urban WSP initiatives • Luangprabang is model urban water supplier developed and implemented WSP successfully • Achievements: WSP training, monitoring visits conducted, good technical support of STC, government officers, national trainers • Infrastructure development project: OFID funded project • Local study tour planned to learn from their experiences • WSP disseminated to other provincial water suppliers for their information and learning

4. Successful case of rural WSP initiatives • Most vulnerable 2 villages to waterborne diseases, Attapue province • Outbreak of cholera in 2009-2010 • Outbreak of typhoid in 2013-2014 • Demonstration training provided for provincial and district staffs of NAMSAAT in most vulnerable villages, Attapue • WSP developed in Dakpokmai village: main cause of outbreak is water shortage (GFS), use of untreated/contaminated spring water, low access to improved sanitation facilities, high percentage of open defecation, poor HWTS and hygiene promotion • Similar activities initiated in Xiengkouang and Huapanh provinces, it integrated with HWTS

5. Key features Where there is need for improvement • Improve capacity (training, supply and equipment) of regular monitoring and surveillance system of DWQ • Introduce auditing system of WSP • Integrate WSP with existing national training programme of water supply enterprise • Encourage water utilities to contribute fund for implementation of water safety plan such as an improvement plan

6. Main targets and achievements - 1 1. Increased WSP development and implementation and improved water safety practices 2. WSP approaches will become an integral part of policies and institutional frameworks

7. Main targets and achievements - 2 3. There will be continued advocacy and mobilization of resources to support infrastructure improvements identified through a WSP 4. Resources and tools will be developed to support WSP

8. Multiplier Effects • Implementing rural water safety plan in most vulnerable villages in Attapueprovince (cholera, typhoid outbreak areas) • Water safety plan and HWTS integrated in Xiengkhouangand Houaphanh provinces (one village per one district) for promoting maternal and child health • Improving infrastructure of water supply facilities identified by improvement plan of WSP in Luangprabang, Oudomxay and Khammuanprovinces • Water safety planning has been initiated in healthcare facilities as a pilot

9. Challenges • Sustainability of water safety plan after phase III completed; • The ownership of government counterpart; • Implementing activities in timely basis related to limited capacity; • Limited human resource particularly in rural areas. • More support is needed for scaling up rural WSP to all rural provinces, districts and villages

10. Lessons learnt • WSP, HWTS, Hygiene promotion can be integrated in community level in order to educate rural people to know how to prevent themselves from water borne disease and control of chemical contamination in water. • National mechanism for WSP need to be developed for effective implementation of DWQS and mandatory development and implementation of WSP in both urban and rural. • Community engagement is the key component to effective implement and sustain rural WSP initiatives. • Random monitoring/auditing for urban WSP can be done by Department of Housing and Urban Planning to ensure that Water Supply Enterprise implement water safety plan properly and regularly.

11. Budget overview (Jul 2012- June 2014)

12. Priority actions (2014-2016)

13. Final comments • Good progress has been made for development and implementation of water safety planning in province, district, and village levels. • Government policy and standard for DWQ is very important to ensure water quality and sustain WSP, however capacity and more guidance document is needed for its enforcement and effective implementation • Improvement plan needs to get more fund for effective implementation. How to encourage/use internal fund of water supplier enterprises to implement of improvement plan is challenging • Due to relocation of staffs in government body, WSP need the commitment from division or unit rather than the individual person. • Trying to integrate WSP activity with other programs such as Schistosomiasis and trachoma in Lao PDR

14. Thank you for your attention