Implementation of the Protocol and target setting in the Czech Republic Frantisek Kozisek National Institute of Public Health Prague, Czech Republic Workshop

Implementation of the Protocol and target setting in the Czech

Republic

Frantisek KozisekNational Institute of Public Health

Prague, Czech Republic

Workshop on sharing experience on the implementation of the Protocol on Water and Health in Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and

Russian Federation(Minsk, 5 – 6 April 2011)

Státní zdravotní ústav

Contents of the presentation

Basic data on drinking water supply Legal frameworkDrinking water quality

Implementation of the Protocol on water and health


Drinking water supply in the Czech Republic: current basic data

92.8 % population supplied from public water supply (2009)– i.e. 7.2 % of population supplied from individual

sources (domestic wells for permanent households)

– Additional several millions of people exposed to water from domestic wells during weekends or holidays (cottages, weekend houses, recreational facilities etc.)

– There are about 750 thousand of private wells in the Czech Republic (the last official estimation of 1989)

Public supply: about 51 % from surface water sources, 49 % groundwater


Water supply in the Czech Republic: setting the scene (2009)

Altogether 4 005 water supply zones (WSZ)(282 WSZ > 5000 persons; 3 723 WSZ < 5000 persons) > 3000 WSZ < 1000 popul.;

2581 public and commercial wells (registered in central database in 2009)

More than 2130 operators (legal persons) operating water supply systems and sewerage systems


Legal framework of water supply (1)

The Water Act (Min. of Environ.):- protection of abundance, quality and

safety of drinking water sources The Act on Water Supply and Sewerage

Systems for Public Use (Min. of Agricult.): - liabilities related to raw water pumping, treatment and distribution, including monitoring; sewerage collection and treatment;



The Nuclear Act (State Office for Nuclear Safety): - requirements for radiological quality and monitoring (of radioactivity) of drinking water and bottled water

The Foodstuffs and Tobacco Products Act (Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Health):- requirements on bottled drinking water quality, monitoring and labelling



The Public Health Act (Ministry of Health) (the core of transposition of the DWD): - applies to all ways of drinking water supply to the public, regardless of size and/or number of people served,- does not apply to the private wells supplying individual households with no commercial use,- sets the requirements on water quality and monitoring and other obligations of operators and state authorities - sets the requirements on the health safety of materials and chemical products used in contact with drinking water


Public Health Act

Czech water quality requirements compared to those of the DWD:

Includes some extra parameters and indicators (e.g. beryllium, microcystin-LR, chlorite, free chlorine, ozone, magnesium, calcium, hardness, silver, microscopic picture, colony count at 36°C)

Establishes stricter limits for some parameters and indicators (e.g. copper, TOC, oxidability, chloroform, chloride, etc.)

Under special conditions establishes more relaxed (or „still acceptable“) limits for pH, iron and manganese


Data on drinking water quality

Central database with all primary results + other data on the origin of samples and water supply systems

In operation since 1994, in full operation since 2004

In 2008: data on 35 362 samples and about 841 000 single analyses of all parameters included in the DWD and the Czech Decree

Various kinds of data processing available Data available to public in summary

through annual report (http://www.szu.cz/tema/zivotni-prostredi/monitoring-pitne-vody)


Data on drinking water quality (2009):non compliance in water supply zones

(WSZs) serving > 5000 persons


Data on drinking water quality:explanation to previous pictures

NMH (maximum limit value) – limit values for parameters (as thought by the DWD)

MH (limit value) – limit values for indicators (as thought by the DWD)

LH (all types of limit values: NMH, MH and also guideline or recommended values)


Data on drinking water quality (2009):non compliance in WSZs < 5000

persons


Data on drinking water quality (2009):non compliance in public and

commercial wells


Relationship between size of water supply zones (population) and drinking water quality

(non-compliance). Data from 2007.Paramaters (red) and indicators (blue)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

< 101

101 - 1000

1 001 - 5 000

5 001 - 25 000

25 001 - 100 000

>100 000ob

last

[ob

yvat

el]

překročení limiti hodnoty [%]

MH NMH


Drinking water quality

Few outbreak from public water supplying systems reported (see next slides)

Problems with chemical quality – derogations (see next slides)


Water-borne outbreaks in the Czech Republic (1995-2005); drinking water

Reported 27 outbreaks with 1489 casesStructure of the sources which caused the

outbreaks:– public supply (4)– domestic distribution system (2) or waer

distribution system within the factory (2)– commercial wells (10)– private (domestic) wells (9)


Derogations (2008)

In 295 water supply zones (WSZ), mainly small ones. Most often causes:

nitrates 160 WSZ (about 52 000 popul.)

iron 42 WSZpH 33 WSZmanganese 27 WSZsulphates 16 WSZ

aluminium 17 WSZ atrazine 11 WSZdesethylatrazine 16 WSZarsenic 7 WSZ (about 7 000 popul.)


Small supplies – main problems (1)

Low skills of most operators (owners) resulting in inappropriate operation and/or insufficient care about the assets

Lower legal level of source protection in comparison with bigger sources


Small supplies – main problems (2)

Regulatory requirements are focused on water quality only, not on sanitary inspection

Lack of possibilities of impartial consultations

Lack of financial resources for small communities – EU funds are focused on big projects (investments)

No regulation /of water quality and monitoring/ for private (domestic) wells


Protocol on Water and Health:implementation in the Czech

Republic


Process of national implementation

The Protocol ratified by the Czech Republic in 2001

Ministry of Health = main coordinating and responsible body for implementation

National Task Group for implementation established in 2002

Task Group incorporates representatives of all three sectors responsible for water (the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture)


National Task Group

Submits every year an updated Report on the progress and implementation of targets

Secures national participation in international events in the framework of the Protocol

Tries to raise public awareness on the Protocol and its targets


Process of target settings

Task Group developed the Document encompassing description of the current national situation in the areas identified by the Protocol, existing political, strategic and legal instruments

Ministry of Health addressed water and public health professional associations and NGOs with request for national targets suggestions – low response…

Task Group drafted the targets (as the 3rd part of the Document)


Process of target settings

Draft Document was several times subject of comments of all interested sectors and stakeholders (including regional authorities)

On the basis of these discussions the document was finally modified and submitted by the Ministry of Health to the Czech Government for approval

The Government of the Czech Republic approved the Document on its meeting held on 9 April 2008 and thus Czech national targets officially entered into force


Czech national targets

National targets established for the majority of the areas identified in the Protocol

Only in several cases, where conditions are considered satisfactory or targets fulfilled, no objectives have been set

Altogether 35 different targets have been set

All targets have clear responsibility identified and most targets have clear timetable to be fulfilled. For all targets, where it is possible, clear indicators of fulfilment have been formulated.



Where targets of the Protocol are identical with the requirements of other international legal documents, especially EU directives and regulations, the deadlines for achieving the targets are identical with these requirements

Cost-benefit analysis was not done as most of the targets are overlapping with the targets (requirements) of the EU directives and our country is obliged to comply with in given time framework.

The rest of the targets could be fulfilled through ordinary budgets of the ministries involved.



Task Group has prepared in 2010 the proposal to amend national targets as some of them have been already completed or secured for future by law, and in some other cases the timetable should be adjusted to new conditions


Added value of the Protocol ?

Strengthening of intersectoral cooperation (health - environment, health - agriculture, agriculture - environment), which is supported by EU legislation only in some fields, but not in such broad spectrum as suggested by the Protocol

Some issues suggested by the Protocol are not covered by any EU legislation or initiative or are covered only partially (it is the case of about ten Czech targets).


Thank you

To what avail is my cure,when the well is next the manure!

Documents

Implementation of the Protocol and target setting in the Czech Republic Frantisek Kozisek National Institute of Public Health Prague, Czech Republic Workshop