QuestionsQuestions (DOH ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 2014-0027)
The primary purpose is to establish a national policy requiring all drinking-water service providers in the Philippines to develop and implement Water Safety Plans (WSP) to ensure the safe quality of supplied drinking water.
Drinking-water service providers include Water Districts (WD), Rural Waterworks and Sanitation Associations (RWSA), Local Government Units (LGUs), Barangay Waterworks and Sanitation Associations (BWSA), concessionaires, water service cooperatives, homeowners associations, special economic zone providers, retail drinking-water providers, bulk and mobile water providers, and other recognized providers managing potable water supply systems.
The Order covers Level I (point source), Level II (communal faucet), Level III (individual house connections), Bulk Water Systems, Retail Water Systems (refilling stations), Mobile Water Systems, and other water supply systems managed by recognized service providers.
Supporting frameworks include the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) on safe water, UN resolutions recognizing the right to safe drinking water, the 1987 Philippine Constitution Section 15 on health rights, the Code on Sanitation (P.D. 856), the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (R.A. 9275), and the Philippine National Standards for Drinking-Water (DOH AO No. 2007-0012).
The main elements include: assembling the WSP team; describing the water supply system; identifying hazards and assessing risks; determining and validating control measures; developing improvement plans; defining operational monitoring; verifying WSP effectiveness; preparing management procedures; developing supporting programs; periodic review and revision following incidents.
All drinking-water service providers must develop WSPs within three years from the issuance of the Order and ensure implementation after approval.
DOH is tasked with requiring submission of WSPs, developing standards and guidelines, accrediting institutions and experts, conducting advocacy, reviewing and approving WSPs, providing technical assistance, and coordinating with partners at various levels.
LGUs are responsible for advocating awareness, assisting community water providers, establishing Local Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Committees (LDWQMC), monitoring WSP implementation, and enforcing the Code on Sanitation and this Order.
The DOH shall develop systems and procedures for accreditation of training institutions and certification of trainers, assessors, and auditors involved in WSP processes.