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WHO/UNICEF International Network to Promote
Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage
1st Regional Workshop in Latin America:
Advancing the Water Safety Agenda
2
Workshop Report
Bogota, Colombia,
May 7-9, 2018
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INDEX
Contents
1 Context ...................................................................................................................................... 3
2 Summary and Primary Results ..................................................................................................... 3
3 Workshop Content...................................................................................................................... 5
3.1 Day 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 5
3.1.1 Official Opening ................................................................................................................ 5
3.1.2 Session 1: Global and Regional Context ........................................................................... 6
3.1.3 Session 2: Regional Context and Primary Challenges in the Region ................................ 8
3.1.4 Session 3: Closing Gaps and Global Approach to Water Safety ....................................... 9
3.1.5 Session 4: Closing Gaps and Global Approach to Water Safety ..................................... 11
3.1.6 Session 5: Case study, Colombia ................................................................................... 12
3.1.7 Closing ............................................................................................................................ 15
3.2 Day 2 ......................................................................................................................................... 15
3.2.1 Opening: Conclusions from Day 1 .................................................................................. 15
3.2.2 Session 6: Strategies and Approaches for Reaching the SDGs: Focusing on Water Safety
Programs ........................................................................................................................ 16
3.2.3 Session 7: Experiences with Implementation and Monitoring of WSPs and HWTS ...... 18
3.2.4 Session 8: Action Plans ................................................................................................... 19
3.2.5 Session 9: Final Conclusions, Evaluation, and Closing .................................................... 21
3.3 Day 3: Field Visits ...................................................................................................................... 22
3.3.1 Field visit to a biosand filter project in the municipality of Viotá (Cundinamarca),
implemented by Fundación San Cipriano, Fundación Red Proyecto Gente, and CAPD 22
3.3.2 Field visit to an ultrafiltration unit in a school in the municipality of Tena
(Cundinamarca), implemented by Fundación Agua por la Vida .................................... 22
4 Appendices ............................................................................................................................... 23
4.1 Appendix 1: Workshop Agenda ................................................................................................ 23
4.2 Appendix 2: Participant List ...................................................................................................... 28
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ABBREVIATIONS WS- Water and Sanitation
CAPD- Canadian Association for Participatory Development
CAWST- Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology
FRPG- Fundación Red Proyecto Gente
INAGUA- Instituto Internacional de Agua y Medio Ambiente
IRCA- Water Quality Risk Index (Spanish acronym)
LAC- Latin America and the Caribbean
NTC- Colombian Technical Standard (Spanish acronym)
OCSAS- community-based water and sanitation service organizations
MDG- Millennium Development Goals
SDG- Sustainable Development Goals
WHO- World Health Organization
NGO- non-governmental organization
PAHO- Pan American Health Organization
GDP- gross domestic product
WSP- water safety plan
PWW- Pure Water for the World
RAS- Colombian Technical Regulation for the Potable Water and Sanitation Sector (Spanish
acronym)
SABA- Integrated Model for Basic Sanitation (Spanish acronym)
SIASAR – Rural Water and Sanitation Information System (Spanish acronym)
SUISA- Unified Environmental Health Information System (Spanish acronym)
HWTS- Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage
WS- water safety
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1 Context
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) have established ambitious targets and raised the level of all
development efforts. In particular, the indicator for SDG 6.1 - Access to Safely Managed Drinking Water,
goes beyond coverage and emphasizes the concept of water safety. This means that users must not only
have access to an improved water source, but this source must also “be accessible on premises, available
when needed, and free of fecal contamination and priority chemicals.”1 This new focus has highlighted
the need to strengthen services, with an emphasis on risk-management approaches to achieve water
safety from the watershed and the source, down to the point of use. Achieving the target for SDG 6.1 will
require a combination of household-based guidelines from the national to the municipal level. That is
why household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) is one of the approaches that should be
integrated into broader models in order to achieve a greater reach and thus minimize gaps in access to
high-quality water.
In Latin America, the rate of access to water sources is high, but ensuring water quality continues to be a
challenge, especially in rural, dispersed rural, and growing peri-urban areas. To address the challenge of
supplying safe water in these areas, the government of Colombia has established new regulations that
recognize the possibility of expanding access to high-quality water by using alternative solutions when
there is no piped water supply, in both rural and peri-urban contexts. These regulations allow
municipalities and service providers to implement a combination of approaches, including HWTS, which
will also require the provision of education to individuals, families, and communities on the topic of safe
water.
Given the regulatory developments in Colombia aimed at addressing one of the region’s primary
challenges (access in rural areas and improvement to water quality in existing systems) and the existing
connections with Colombian authorities, the International Network on HWTS (the Network) decided that
it was a good opportunity to host a regional meeting in Colombia. This regional meeting would involve
Latin American and Caribbean governmental stakeholders to work jointly on focused solutions within the
framework of water safety and to introduce the role of HWTS in ensuring water quality at the point of
use.
2 Summary and Primary Results
The first Latin American Regional Workshop, called “Advancing the Water Safety Agenda,” was
organized by the Network, via the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health
Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, together with the Colombian Ministries of Housing, Cities, &
Territories and of Health & Social Protection. The Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation
Technology (CAWST) coordinated and facilitated the workshop. Financial support was provided by
P&G and UNICEF.
The event was held in Bogota, Colombia, from May 7 to 9, 2018. Appendix 1 provides the detailed
agenda for the first two (workshop) days. The purpose of the event was to bring together different
1 WHO/UNICEF (2017). Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: 2017 Update and SDG Baselines.
Geneva: WHO and UNICEF.
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key stakeholders from the region, to provide a space to discuss strategies, and to continue to advance
the water safety agenda such that programs and projects would include effective, sustainable
approaches and technologies that would contribute to the objectives of SDG 6.1, with respect to
water quality.
The event brought together 93 participants from 15 countries; Appendix 2 contains the detailed
participant list. The specific objectives of the event were to:
● Discuss different approaches being applied at the national, municipal, and household levels that
can contribute towards strengthening service provision, including water safety approaches,
regulations, water safety plans, and HWTS, including handling and storage of water.
● Share challenges and identify possible solutions for effective service provision in rural, dispersed
rural, and growing peri-urban areas, including opportunities to integrate water safety initiatives
into activities from other sectors.
● Strengthen the platform for stakeholders to share experiences and best practices.
● Establish post-workshop objectives to support governments to create action plans that
incorporate water safety into the provision of services related to safe water at different levels,
from the development of regulations, policies, and plans, up to the implementation of processes
for management, execution, and monitoring/oversight.
As a result of the topics covered during the event (which are broken out in the sections that follow),
the primary conclusions drawn at the end of this regional workshop were:
It is critical that the sector and the region strengthen information and knowledge
management systems in order to have improved knowledge on the rural (particularly
dispersed rural) context, prioritize investments, and share lessons learned from successful
programs in the region.
Public policies and their implementation strategies must be adapted (“differentiated”) to the
content of the SGDs, for both the urban and rural (and dispersed rural) contexts.
The sector needs to work in an interdisciplinary and inter-sectorial fashion wherein solutions
can be coordinated to link the targets set within the water and sanitation sector to the
targets from other SGDs, such as poverty reduction, health, gender, and reduction of
inequalities.
With respect to the drinking water sector, countries need to undergo a change in perspective
in terms of their focus on the construction and improvement of infrastructure, towards the
integral management of water resources, concentrating on water quality through risk
management frameworks and context-specific solutions. This is particularly important for
closing the gap in access and moving up the service chain in rural and vulnerable areas.
It is necessary to continue working as a region to share and learn from experiences and
regional advancements; for this reason, events such as this workshop are a very valuable
tool. It has been proposed to hold the follow-up to this meeting during Latinosan, which is
to take place in Costa Rica in 2019.
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3 Workshop Content
3.1 Day 1
3.1.1 Official Opening
The following authorities were present to welcome the participants and open the workshop:
Dr. Gina Watson, PAHO/WHO representative in Colombia
Dr. Viviana Limpias, UNICEF representative in Colombia
Dr. Diego Felipe Polania, Director of Sector-Specific Development at the Colombian Ministry
of Housing, Cities, and Territories
Dr. Adriana Estrada, Sub-Director of Environmental Health at the Colombian Ministry of
Health and Social Protection
Highlights from the introductory speeches:
One of the WHO’s and UNICEF’s primary objectives is to reduce illnesses related to access to water
and water quality, as well as to enhance approaches to safe water management by operators and
appropriate practices for safe consumption and storage, especially among vulnerable
populations. The specific objective is to reduce morbidity and mortality among children under five
years of age.
The water and sanitation sector needs to adapt to the new conditions and challenges in the
region, such as the consequences of climate change, which are creating new obstacles with
respect to appropriate and sustainable solutions for different regional contexts.
The development and implementation of public policies need to be aligned among different
sectors and be adapted to a given country’s real needs; suitable investment needs to be provided
for proper execution. Several examples from Colombia were mentioned, such as Decree 1898 of
2016 relating to dispersed areas, and Decree-Law 890 of 2017 relating to social housing in rural
areas.
After the official opening, the event’s objectives and facilitators were presented and an exercise was
carried out for the participants to get to know each other. As mentioned above, participants came
from 15 countries and represented primarily public institutions from Latin American and Caribbean
countries (from the sectors of health and water infrastructure), but there were also participants
representing NGOs, United Nations agencies from different countries in the region (PAHO/WHO,
UNICEF), the World Bank, and academic institutions.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The objective of the following sections is to provide a summary of the primary ideas and discussion points
during each of the sessions. They present the points of view or ideas of each speaker, and not necessarily of
other speakers, hosts, or facilitators.
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3.1.2 Session 1: Global and Regional Context
Fiorella Polo, representing UNICEF’s head office in New York, gave an introductory presentation on
the progress in the sector from the MDGs to the SDGs, from a global perspective.
The aim of the MDG target was to achieve an improvement in access to safe drinking water. In this context,
the main focus was improved sources of water, which didn’t always provide “safe water.” In fact, 1.8
billion people use sources of water that are fecally contaminated. Therefore, the MDG target was lacking
with respect to service quality and the indicators left significant gaps, which the SDGs now need to
address.
Safe drinking water is a fundamental right for improved health, and it is also a matter of human dignity
and quality of life. However, the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program confirms that the targets
reached by the MDGs reveal significant differences in coverage between urban and rural settings, which
represents a major challenge for the sector. In addition, there are other factors, such as ethnicity, socio-
cultural status, and educational level, which are significant barriers that hamper access to safe water by
the most vulnerable, thus increasing inequality.
In terms of the indicators for SDG 6.1, we talk about four key parameters:
Accessibility: water is available in the home or on the property
Continuity: water is available when it is needed
Affordability: water is affordable to the user
Quality: water is free from fecal contamination and other priority chemical contaminants.
Based on these parameters, the SDGs introduced a classification other than sources of water, defining a
target of “safely managed drinking water.”
Figure 1. Service ladder, as defined under the SDGs (UNICEF)
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However, having an improved source meet all the above-mentioned requirements in all situations is an
enormous challenge, and, for this reason, it was proposed that countries could work progressively on the
improvement to access and quality of water services. One of the primary challenges globally, especially in
regions such as Africa, is accessibility and ensuring that the sources of water are within 30 minutes (round
trip), since transport and handling of water significantly affect its quality.
To address the question of how to make the transition from the MDGs to the SDGs and achieve safely
managed drinking water, the so-called “progressive service ladder” was introduced, which brought in the
concept of basic service plus (+), focusing primarily on the fulfilment of availability and quality criteria.
Figure 2. UNICEF’s definition of basic supply + (graphic by CAWST)
Next, Henry Hernández, representative of the PAHO regional office, and Alban Nouvellon,
representative of the UNICEF regional office, presented on the regional situation in Latin America.
It is estimated that more than 200 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean still receive
their water intermittently. Water quality is another big challenge, in addition to the lack of
wastewater management: 72% of wastewater is not treated at all, representing an enormous risk in
terms of contamination of sources used for consumption.
At the regional level, to address the challenges in terms of access, availability, and quality, it is
important to have the necessary data and tools to prioritize investments and close the gaps between
urban and rural settings. There are still very few countries that have a water quality oversight and
monitoring system included in their national processes and policies. We must not forget that the
ultimate goal in seeking to improve drinking water and sanitation services in the region is to have an
impact on the health of the population.
At the regional level, there are significant gaps in access between urban and rural areas, and this
difference is also represented among the different countries in the region. In Haiti, for example, coverage
is below 50%. Ethnicity and literacy level are also factors that significantly affect access to water in the
region. For rural areas, innovative strategies and appropriate technologies must be proposed for when
conventional methods are not feasible, and this leads to a difference in the indicators proposed by
different countries, versus those established by the SDGs.
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A study carried out by IRC WASH on the types of authorities in charge of overseeing and monitoring service
in the LAC region was presented. The study highlighted the fact that there are different types of service
providers at the regional level, as well as different types of oversight. Since regulations have traditionally
focused on formal service providers, it is only now that a focus is emerging on rural areas or on small
service providers, since in the region, community-scale suppliers of water for rural areas represent a very
significant percentage in terms of how services are offered and managed in many of the countries. As a
reference, more than 70 million people in the region (11% of the total population) receive their water
through community-based water and sanitation service organizations (CWSSOs).
In terms of monitoring, the study found that there are countries that do not have rural monitoring
systems, and that only a few monitor water quality (although this monitoring is not always as good as it
could be); however, there are also other countries that do have more robust rural systems. These
monitoring systems offer data on continuity and quality, but not on accessibility. The Rural Water and
Sanitation Information System (Spanish acronym: SIASAR) collects this latter piece of data and is now
being implemented in several countries in the region.
An important challenge in monitoring systems is cost, since the determination of baselines and other
information that needs to be gathered regularly requires appropriate resources and tools for successful
implementation. A more integrated management system and unified information among the different
regulatory bodies seems to be a key factor in reducing inequities in the region.
3.1.3 Session 2: Regional Context and Primary Challenges in the Region
Once the global and regional contexts were presented, groups were formed, organized by country,
to discuss the following questions:
1. Do the regional statistics accurately reflect the water safety situation in my country?
2. What are the primary challenges and gaps we face?
3. What are the factors that affect us at the country/regional level to advance the water safety
agenda?
The groups were formed as follows:
1. Peru, Bolivia, Colombia
2. Honduras, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Colombia
3. Ecuador, Argentina, Panama, and Colombia
4. Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Colombia
5. Colombia (representatives from NGOs and non-governmental institutions)
The primary points shared by the groups were as follows:
The global statistics have focused on monitoring coverage, but we need to establish
mechanisms that will give us more and better information on rural systems, as well as on water
quality.
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A few of the common shortcomings identified by the participant countries from the region were
the lack of prioritization and public investment in the drinking water and sanitation sector, the
lack of implementation of context-appropriate technologies, and the lack of capacity for the
sustainable selection, implementation, and management of water systems.
At the regional level, a common denominator seems to be the lack of public policies and
strategies that would help to close gaps at the rural level; and the need for coordination among
the different sectors involved in water resource management was identified as a priority.
External factors affecting the sector at the regional level include problems such as political
instability, security issues, and the climate change mitigation.
Greater involvement of communities and of women is required, as well as coordination among
the public and private sector, academic institutions, and civil society.
The lack of government investment in the sector, as well as the reduction of investment by
other institutions such as international development agencies, requires an innovative and
efficient vision to find solutions to the existing challenges.
3.1.4 Session 3: Closing Gaps and Global Approach to Water Safety
During this session, Fiorella Polo from UNICEF and Eva Manzano from CAWST presented on how to achieve
water safety on a global scale using approaches that focus on risk management (water safety plans) and
on HWTS as key approaches for the improvement of water quality at the point of use.
It is necessary to consider safety frameworks and HWTS as alternatives for improving access to and quality
of services. However, these improvements to services always require the corresponding technical and
financial support from the countries’ public sectors. Communities, especially rural ones, are not able to
climb the service improvement ladder without this support from public institutions.
It is critical to set objectives at the national level that are based on water quality within the context of
public health. For example, Bangladesh faces a major challenge in terms of arsenic contamination in their
water sources. As a result, high allowable limits have been set that are to be periodically lowered to ensure
that the indicators are in line with local realities.
In terms of water safety frameworks, we need to work in an integrated fashion at several political levels
within a country: at the national level, setting targets based on public health and the local context; at the
systems operator-level, with implementation of oversight and monitoring plans (such as water safety
plans, WSPs); and at the local level, by determining water quality monitoring measures.
Water safety planning is based on a risk analysis to establish control measures or barriers to minimize
impact on public health. These mechanisms are similar to the “F-Diagram” (fecal/oral transmission routes
and barriers). When attempting to minimize risks, interventions can be implemented at different scales,
including measures for the protection of sources and watersheds (e.g. fecal sludge management),
interventions for improving water quality at the household level (HWTS options), and others. WSPs
require a risk analysis of the entire system, from the source to the point of use, and propose management
strategies to ensure water quality.
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Eva Manzano, from CAWST, introduced HWTS as actions that people take in their homes to improve the
quality of their own water (or at institutions such as schools and health centres). HWTS is also known as
point-of-use treatment, or “alternative solutions.” There is often a mistaken idea that HWTS is simply a
filtration system; however, the full HWTS approach is actually a three-stage process (sedimentation,
filtration, and disinfection), and each one of these steps includes different options for treatment
methods/technologies. HWTS fits within a broader approach with other barriers including source
protection and safe storage and handling of water; this method is known as the multi-barrier approach,
and it is similar to the process used in centralized treatment systems, except that it is applied at the
household level or in institutions, in a decentralized manner.
Figure 3. The multi-barrier approach to safe water at the point of use and HWTS steps (CAWST)
HWTS can play a very important role by complementing water safety plans:
Household practices affect a community’s water safety: the way people collect, transport,
treat, and store their water needs to be considered within WSPs. It is necessary to focus on
what happens inside the home to ensure that water remains safe from the time it is collected
until it is consumed.
HWTS offers households the opportunity to have control over their water quality. In rural,
dispersed, or peri-urban areas, centralized systems may not be a feasible option. Even when
these systems exist and work well, water may be recontaminated during its distribution,
collection, and storage (Wright et al., 2004). Treating water in the household can provide
users with an extra barrier and more confidence around the quality of the water they
consume.
HWTS is an affordable step for achieving water safety. After creating a WSP, many
communities need money to improve their distribution systems, but they don’t always have
the necessary resources or knowledge to do so. Therefore, the introduction of HWTS may
represent an immediate alternative for improvement, until the systems can be upgraded and
improved.
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It should be noted that, despite the fact that HWTS focuses on the responsibility and ownership of
drinking water safety residing with the households, this does not remove the responsibility from
governments and public authorities to ensure that their populations have access to, and consume,
safe drinking water.
3.1.5 Session 4: Closing Gaps and Global Approach to Water Safety
The session started off with a presentation by Dr. Salua Osorio, from the Instituto Internacional de
Agua y Medio Ambiente (International Institute for Water and the Environment - INAGUA), wherein
she presented a study carried out by PAHO on the status of the incorporation of the components of
the water safety framework (quality, WSP, monitoring) in several countries of the region, including
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica Ecuador, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, and
Uruguay.
This study is still in the review stages, so the preliminary results cannot be shared publicly.
Participants were invited to contact the presenter directly to receive updated information once it is
made public.
Next, Fiorella Polo introduced an analysis framework developed by UNICEF wherein six basic
components or pillars for achieving water safety were identified. These pillars should be applied at
all levels, from the national government to the communities:
1. Prioritization of safety policies: generation of evidence (e.g. SIASAR), high-level security to
existing platforms.
2. Safety framework at the national level: setting national objectives for water quality and
development of policies and regulations that include topics such as risk management and
HWTS.
3. Decentralized capacity for risk management: system operators’ capacity and budgeting for
proper management.
4. Empowerment of citizens for their own risk management: behaviour change programs in
small communities, innovative approaches in peri-urban areas, leveraging of other
programmatic areas as entry points at the community level.
5. HWTS promotion: Integration of HWTS into WSPs where necessary, and creation of markets
for HWTS, follow-up and oversight of HWTS implementation.
6. Improved monitoring of results: capacity for operational monitoring at the community level,
long-term capacity of oversight systems (effectiveness of WSPs and of HWTS).
This presentation served as an introduction to an exercise where the countries analyzed their
situation with respect to these pillars. The participants worked in groups formed by country. The key
takeaways from this activity are shared below.
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3.1.6 Session 5: Case study, Colombia
First, Dr. Juan Manuel Flechas, from the Ministry of Housing, Cities, and Territories, gave a
presentation on the situational analysis of the water and sanitation sector in Colombia.
Colombia faced a major challenge with respect to the objectives of the MDGs and the negotiation
processes for the peace agreements, wherein water in rural areas and poverty reduction were key
components. Initially, Colombia ran an analysis on the sector’s situation, reviewing information from
household surveys on water and sanitation coverage, in addition to analyzing the Water Quality Risk Index
(Spanish acronym: IRCA), the primary indicator used at the country level for monitoring water quality.
One of the challenges faced by Colombia is providing solutions for the different realities of each
department and for emerging problems such as those associated with contamination from mining
projects. As of now, the statute governing public services at the national level (Statute 142 of 1994) applies
to urban areas, but to a very low extent for rural areas. There are more than one thousand municipalities
falling into the category for smaller size and greater dispersion, and many of them do not yet have piped
water and/or sewerage. In many parts of the country, household connections will not be possible, and
very high standards cannot be achieved in more disperse rural populations; additionally, rural service
providers do not have the capacity to adopt and meet the standard set under Law for the oversight and
monitoring of water quality.
Once the lack of regulation (or adoption of the existing regulations) for rural areas was identified, several
ministries worked together (including the Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture,
and Dept. of Social Prosperity (DPS), among others) to find a solution to this problem. The government
has also been working with other institutions such as NGOs and funders to execute pilot projects in
different regions in the country, including the public standpipe project in La Guajira. Work is also being
done with service providers to strengthen the culture of payment.
Key points:
For most of the countries, it is a priority to work on establishing and strengthening policies
that ensure water quality, although each country is at a different stage in this process.
Information systems are key to understanding the real status of the water systems in each
country and where to prioritize public investments, but not all countries have well-
developed tools and systems, especially for the rural setting.
SIASAR is an information mechanism that has been in use in the region, with differing
levels of development.
At the regional level, there is a significant variance in terms of knowledge around WSPs and
their actual application.
There is a general consensus that HWTS should be regulated but that it has not been
incorporated into public policies and plans of the countries in the region.
13
Andrea Bernal, from the Ministry of Housing, Cities, and Territories, presented the regulatory advances
that Colombia has been working on to provide solutions to the challenges identified in the previous
presentation.
At the country level, work has been underway for more than four years to try to provide a solution for
rural areas; from this work, differentiated systems for supply and treatment for areas with difficult access
or management have been identified as a viable alternative when traditional supply and distribution
systems are not possible. Another one of the changes required is the introduction of regulations for the
implementation of appropriate technologies and information management and monitoring.
With respect to differences in access, a few options have been defined: i) piped systems managed by the
community or other service providers, ii) multi-purpose supply, and iii) supply stations for appropriate
technologies and follow-up with families.
Based on the above and in light of the clear lack of information at the rural level, Colombia decided to
implement SIASAR (Rural Water and Sanitation Information System) to identify priority areas for
intervention, the status of the systems, and the technical and social support required by rural
communities and municipalities. All of this information will be key to achieving sustainability. In parallel
to the approval of differentiated schemes, work is being done to develop and adopt public policies for
monitoring and oversight in the rural context, since up to now, the focus has been on urban centres.
Colombia is one of the few countries that has a Technical Regulation for the Potable Water and Sanitation
Sector (Spanish acronym: RAS), and work is being done to adapt it to the conditions of the rural sector.
RAS is an important tool for determining best engineering practices and establishing basic technical
standards for the implementation of differentiated household or community schemes in the rural setting.
Based on the recognition of alternative technologies (HWTS) as a feasible solution, the challenge for the
different institutions working in the sector is to understand which ones are the most appropriate for a
given context. Therefore, Karen López, from the Ministry of Housing, shared the work that has been done
under an agreement between the Ministry of Housing and ICONTEC, based on two processes. The first
one involves the creation of a “technical guide for the selection of alternative technologies” for
implementers, and the second involves the development of a Colombian Technical Standard (NTC, Spanish
acronym) for the validation of equipment/technologies, in order to evaluate their efficiency and feasibility
of implementation in the field.
The procedure for the selection of water treatment solutions is based on an initial integrated diagnosis
that takes into account the status of existing systems (in terms of availability of water, transport, quality,
and others), the context of the setting (labour, institutional, household, and community), and the
beneficiaries. This analysis enables the determination of what level of treatment is required and the
treatment steps for each context (if it cannot be done in a centralized manner), based on environmental
parameters, access to services, social acceptability, use and maintenance, services, and costs. This process
takes into account technical aspects and recommends the involvement of the community in all stages of
the decision-making process.
One problem that has been identified is that the broad availability of treatment products generates
confusion among implementers, since the producers or distributors of products are not always clear
enough around removal capacity. For this reason, work is being done to create an HWTS product
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validation process, following a similar model to the one presented in the WHO evaluation scheme. The
objective of this process would not be to restrict the market, but rather to give confidence to consumers
or the community around what a technology is able to remove.
This validation process would be initiated by the manufacturer or distributor on a voluntary basis.
Initially, documentation would be reviewed and a laboratory analysis would be conducted on the
removal capacity of the technology based on quality, operation, maintenance, and service. This process
would be complemented with a validation process in field conditions. The requester would be informed
over the course of all stages of the process, and the final validation report would be issued once all parties
agree on the information and results.
To conclude the Colombian case study and experiences, Dr. Adriana Estrada shared the progress made
by the health sector at the national level to coordinate different national stakeholders, generating a
positive impact on public health. It is important to remember the health impact of the lack of access to
safe drinking water, which affects the most vulnerable populations. In the case of access to improved
sources with household treatment and storage, cases of diarrhea may be reduced by 45%.
Health Act 1,751, enacted in 2015, recognizes the rights of all persons to health and that this is an
obligation of the state. The National Development Plan uses different existing structures at the national
level as a basis for the integration of the health sector, such as sector-specific groups and the Unified
Environmental Health System (SUISA, Spanish acronym).
One of the primary strategies the Ministry of Health has been working on, with support from the
departments, is the implementation of the Healthy Homes Strategy, which starts in households through
practices that ensure healthy homes and also takes into account what happens at the community level
and in institutions. Below are some of the major challenges and opportunities identified for a greater
impact on public health.
1. Generating quality information and evidence for making health-based decisions, integrating
information sources and research.
2. Strengthening the formulation of inter-sectorial public policies, geared towards reducing gaps
between urban and rural areas, municipalities, and departments.
3. Strengthening inter-sectorial spaces at the national and territorial levels to coordinate efforts and
create synergies to ensure the availability and quality of water.
4. Implementing interventions geared towards improving access to safe drinking water and basic
sanitation in different settings, through conventional piped systems or alternative technologies.
5. Empowering communities through capacity building.
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3.1.7 Closing
To conclude the day, the participants were asked to share a few takeaways at their tables. Here are
some of their conclusions:
Authorities and civil society should work together to promote, study, and demonstrate best
practices for implementing water and sanitation safety plans, from the watershed and source
to the household level. It is also critical that resources be provided for monitoring and
oversight, through automated information systems.
PAHO and international organizations need to work with the central government for
allocating and administering financial resources for HWTS.
This workshop is helping to strengthen a regional and integrated vision, the bridge between
WSPs and HWTS, and the sharing of experiences among countries and projects.
This workshop is helping to increase motivation and guidelines to apply WSPs and HWTS at
the rural and peri-urban levels, update knowledge, learn from international experiences, and
create relationships that will lead to joint projects.
3.2 Day 2
3.2.1 Opening: Conclusions from Day 1
Ivette Gómez, from PAHO/WHO, summarized the primary reflections from Day 1:
While Latin America as a region contains different contexts, it faces common realities, gaps, and
opportunities.
To overcome these gaps (to make this giant leap), we need to:
Recognize and adopt differentiated strategies/approaches (rural, gender, ethnic)
Move from an approach based on sustaining services (infrastructure, provision) to a more
integrated approach geared towards the SDGs (3, 6, 11, 17, and others)
Develop public policies that inform/commit national and local will towards interventions in
water and sanitation, and which are accompanied by instruments that favour and facilitate
their implementation at the local level and that are flexible enough to be applied in different
contexts
Have greater inter-sectorial and inter-institutional coordination, to facilitate coordinated
actions
Update regulations, adapting them to the rural context; these should be flexible (operators,
means of access, technologies), gradual (timelines), or by level (urban, rural, dispersed)
Develop/apply tools that enable an understanding of the problems and identification of
administrative needs: WSPs, risk maps, indices, monitoring and information systems, all of
which should work in a synchronized/coordinated fashion
16
Include “appropriate” technological solutions for rural/dispersed areas, as a mechanism for
access to safe water
Establish benchmarks/criteria for financing and allocating resources for the sector (percent
allocation according to GDP, savings mechanisms), where the countries’ commitment can be
seen
The region needs to advance towards community empowerment mechanisms/strategies (there
are participation mechanisms in place); achieve better connections in water and sanitation
processes that would allow for sustainability and social control.
These discussions should be held as a Network; it is an opportunity (exchange, updating,
reaffirming commitments) for Latin America as a region, so its continuity should be encouraged.
It is strategic to identify stakeholders in each country who can resume/take up/support the
agenda to overcome these gaps.
3.2.2 Session 6: Strategies and Approaches for Reaching the SDGs: Focusing on
Water Safety Programs
In this session, UNICEF’s Fiorella Polo took a deeper dive into the topic of WSPs.
WSPs consider hazards and events that can affect water quality and service provision; risks are identified,
and the most important ones are analyzed. Potential problems are analyzed in the WSPs; depending on
the systems and the treatment chain being used, the entire chain is evaluated, and mitigation measures
are developed.
An urban WSP is made up of the following steps:
Formation of the WSP team
Description of the water supply system
Determination of the hazards and hazardous events and evaluation of risks
Determination and validation of control measures and re-evaluation of risk control
Development, execution, and maintenance of an improvement or upgrading plan
Definition of the monitoring plan for the control measures
Verification of the WSP’s effectiveness
Development of management procedures
Development of complementary programs
Planning and periodic evaluation of the WSPs
Review of the WSP after an incident
This model may be too complex in the case of smaller rural systems; for these cases, work has been
underway on a simplified version of WSPs for rural systems, which is better suited to their context.
17
Figure 4. Implementation stages of a WSP in the rural setting (UNICEF)
Next, Justine Rayner, from Tufts University, shared the study they undertook in India, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Fiji, and Vanuatu on the implementation of WSPs. The study concludes that: the
implementation of WSPs varies from country to country; in general, the implementation of WSPs is
incomplete; there is no documentation on improvement in terms of microbiological contamination of the
water; and small improvements were made to the systems. The primary recommendations from this study
were: promote water treatment and quality monitoring, adapt tools and trainings to the local context,
integrate WSPs into other existing water and sanitation programs, and secure technical and financial
support for their full implementation.
Then, Eva Manzano and Laura MacDonald, from CAWST, gave a presentation on HWTS and how it fits
within the water safety agenda.
HWTS can play an important role in the progressive execution of safe water management by ensuring that
drinking water is free from fecal contamination, since the risk of recontamination increases during
transportation and storage.
A systematic review run in 2014 concluded that HWTS (boiling or filtration with safe storage) can reduce
diarrheal disease by up to 45% when a non-improved source is used. For an improved source, the
reduction can be as high as 38%, and 28% in the case of onsite piped water. The microbiological
performance results from the first round of WHO evaluation scheme were also presented.
To achieve the above-mentioned health impacts, however, a household water treatment solution must
be used correctly, consistently and continually, and treated water must be consumed 100% of the time.
Specific to this, Aaron Bivins and Joe Brown from the Georgia Institute of Technology are studying the
tradeoffs between a technology’s microbiological reduction rate and correct, consistent, continued use
with respect to achieving health impact. The preliminary results of their model reinforce the idea that it
18
is not only a technology’s pathogen removal capacity that is important; rather, the use of the technology
and consumption of treated water at all times is also important.
To complement what was mentioned above, for a proper selection of technological options, the following
parameters should be taken into account:
Figure 5. Selection criteria for HWTS option selection (CAWST)
Finally, CAWST’s HWTS knowledge base was presented to the participants:
Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage Knowledge Base
3.2.3 Session 7: Experiences with Implementation and Monitoring of WSPs and
HWTS
This session was run as a marketplace in which eight national and international presenters shared
their experience with the implementation of HWTS and WSPs. The participants were able to visit the
displays for several projects and then, after lunch, they worked in groups to discuss the primary
lessons learned and innovative ideas from each of the projects.
The programs presented during this session were the following (for more details , see the summary
online and each representative’s specific presentation on the linked agenda, Spanish only):
Water quality risk maps and favourable health authorizations: an opportunity for improving water quality in the rural area of Valle del Cauca; Fabiola Berón, Secretariat of Health, Valle del Cauca (Colombia).
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Development of a market/sustainable supply chain for SMART solutions for safe water; Joshua Briemberg, WaterAid (Nicaragua)
Sustainable supply of safe water in rural areas using community agents; Maria Inestroza, Pure Water for the World (Honduras)
Implementation of a strategy to provide safe drinking water in rural Nepal: presentation of the pilot phase, results, and lessons learned; Dorian Tosi Robinson, EAWAG (Switzerland)
Promotion strategies for the development of water safety plans; Patricia Segurado, PAHO (Mexico)
Improvement to water quality among rural populations in Nariño using appropriate solutions: Agua Segura para la Frontera Sur (Safe Water for the Southern Border); Julián Téllez, Departmental Health Institute, Nariño (Colombia)
Use of ceramic filters as a response to flooding, within the framework of Healthy Homes; Jorge Villarreal, Altántico Secretariat of Health (Colombia)
How to address inequalities in rural water and sanitation; Sabrina Zimmermann, World Bank (Colombia/Panama)
3.2.4 Session 8: Action Plans
To close out the event, participants were divided into groups by country to work on defining their
priorities and next steps.
Country Priorities
Colombia All of the components of the safety framework are high priority
for the country, especially in the rural context. However, when
prioritizing, they will focus on how to carry out the differentiated
approach, obtaining approval for new regulatory measures for
rural areas, and making improvements to information
management, with a strengthened implementation of SIASAR.
It is critical to transfer these new rural-based regulations to the
communities by building the capacities of the municipalities and
departments and developing useful tools for its incorporation
into the planning and management of safe drinking water
programs.
Mexico One of the main priorities is to strengthen policies within the
water safety framework. Progress has been made in the state of
Chiapas, but there is still much to be done to expand this into
other rural areas of the country. In terms of policies, suggested
actions are: evaluation of the experience with implementation
of WSPs in Chiapas and linking actions and policies to other SDGs
related to poverty reduction and improvement of public health.
20
Another one of the main priorities is to build the capacities of
rural service providers, and for this, guides and educational
material needs to be developed in accordance with their needs.
It is important to promote the new objectives among the
municipalities, develop a participatory risks diagnosis, and
obtain an actual valuation of the water safety situation in the
municipalities.
Panama A draft public policy related to potable water has been
developed; however, it still needs consensus. The Water
Regulation is under review and will require that appropriate risk
management tools be developed.
Over the long term, it is hoped that the decentralization of the
sector can be worked on (underway), along with strengthening
health promotion programs, starting up a program with
indigenous communities, to include WSPs and HWTS, and
strengthening monitoring and oversight systems to ensure that
the necessary resources are allocated and that awareness is built
in municipalities and communities.
Nicaragua Structure a national-level framework that would allow for a
clearer definition of policies and regulations to drive the water
safety agenda.
Promote the exchange of experiences in order to boost and
promote behaviour change to improve hygiene and sanitation
behaviours in rural communities.
Prepare a monitoring and oversight proposal as an institutional
policy for improving water service in communities.
Bolivia One of the primary objectives is to strengthen the water safety
frameworks through the development of a pre-investment
regulation, including resiliency. HWTS implementation.
Argentina/Peru Over the medium term, the actions proposed are capacity
building for service providers (particularly in the rural sector) and
creating demand through learning exchanges for self-
management of risk. Over the long term, the priorities are to
incorporate inter-sectorial and inter-institutional coordination
for the prioritization of public policies related to water safety, to
establish community agents for the implementation and
monitoring of HWTS technologies, and to strengthen the existing
monitoring system to ensure connectivity and metering using
sensors.
21
Honduras Over the short term, promote HWTS implementation not only by
NGOs, but also using existing platforms and networks and
coordinating with the government. Work on infrastructure
improvement needs to be continuous and there need to be
suitable financial resources available. Laws need to be adapted,
particularly in terms of water quality monitoring. Work needs to
be done to create a more detailed map of the situation in the
sector.
Haiti, Guatemala,
Dominican Republic
To foster prioritization of safety policies, they propose to work in
sectorial groups, gathering information on existing policies and
transfer them to the decision makers. Over the long term,
conversations among the sectorial groups should translate into
public policies. Over the long term, provide training on WSPs to
operators, capacity building for Ministry of Health health
promoters, capacity building for communities, empowerment of
communities on HWTS options, capacity building in the private
sector, and strengthening of operators in terms of monitoring.
Ecuador For risk management, the Colombian model has been used for risk
mapping. Municipalities are being strengthened and work is being
done to obtain accreditation for laboratories. Discussions are being
held with PAHO to involve trainers in the development of WSPs.
Technical groups have been formed to prepare a diagnosis and
involve the stakeholders, especially the community. Over the long
term, integrate HWTS into WSPs.
3.2.5 Session 9: Final Conclusions, Evaluation, and Closing
After the participants presented on their working priorities for the future, the regional
representatives of PAHO and UNICEF shared a few of their conclusions on next steps and actions to
focus on at the regional level:
One common challenge that has been identified over the sessions has been the limited information
that the sector has at the regional level, particularly in rural areas. Improving information systems
is key to prioritizing interventions and investments and reducing inequities.
Much positive progress is being made in the region. However, this is often not documented, and
the information is not always shared among the different countries. Events like this one are an
opportunity to share ideas with representatives from other countries, but we need to work on
incorporating systematization and best practices into the agendas so that there is access to
information on successful cases. Improved information management would also allow us to learn
from errors.
22
This workshop has been focused on safe water management. However, we must not forget the
importance of sanitation, since the safe management of sludge and grey water is a key risk factor
for public health. In addition, the statistics show that the region is even more behind in terms of the
sanitation SDGs and the safe management of excreta and wastewater.
The region is facing a significant challenge: we need to do more, but with fewer financial resources.
For this reason, we need to be more strategic when prioritizing interventions, seek optimal solutions
for different contexts, and emphasize that the resources not only be focused on the construction of
infrastructure, but also on capacity building for community service providers, public institutions,
and the private sector, which will be playing an ever-increasing role in the supply of safe drinking
water to populations in the region.
The region is pioneering research, and the development of technologies opens the doors to new
ways of managing knowledge. To continue to advance the water safety agenda, we need to seek
innovative ways of communicating and sharing knowledge, such as via the resources available on
PAHO’s webpage, CAWST’s training materials, and holding technical webinars to update the
knowledge of the key stakeholders in the sector.
Finally, the regional organizers (PAHO and UNICEF), national organizers (Ministries of Housing and
Health), and CAWST thanked the attendees for their participation, and, after the final evaluation, the
regional workshop was officially brought to a close.
3.3 Day 3: Field Visits
3.3.1 Field visit to a biosand filter project in the municipality of Viotá
(Cundinamarca), implemented by Fundación San Cipriano, Fundación Red
Proyecto Gente, and CAPD
The project organizers explained the construction process of the filters, how the technology works,
the user education process, and the educational material that is used so that they understand how
to properly use and maintain the filters.
Several families were visited to see first-hand how they are using the filters and verify their operation
in households.
3.3.2 Field visit to an ultrafiltration unit in a school in the municipality of Tena
(Cundinamarca), implemented by Fundación Agua por la Vida
Gustavo Samper, the organization’s director, together with the school principal, described the work
they do at the Foundation, how the filtration systems works, and the construction process.
A demonstration was also made on how they use educational material to build awareness among
children and their families on the importance of drinking treated water and practicing good hygiene,
such as handwashing with soap.
At the end of the visit, a meeting was held wherein the key points of the project were covered and
questions were answered.
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4 Appendices
4.1 Appendix 1: Workshop Agenda
Agenda: 1st Regional Workshop in Latin America - Advancing the Water Safety Agenda
__________________________________________________________________________________
DAY 1: MONDAY, MAY 7, 2018
Time Topic
Objectives/Description Facilitator/Speaker
8:00-8:30 Participant registration
8:30-9:15 Official opening of the
event
- Housekeeping and security at the hotel
- Welcome from UNICEF and PAHO/WHO representatives
- Welcome from Ministry of Housing
- Welcome from Ministry of Health and Social Protection
- Presentation of the Network and general objectives of the event
- Introduction of participants
- Group agreement
- Logistics for the event
Security staff at the hotel
Viviana Limpias, UNICEF
Gina Watson, PAHO
Diego Felipe Polania, Min. Housing
Adriana Estrada, Min. Health
Facilitator: Eva Manzano, CAWST
9:15-9:45 Regional and global
context
Transition from the MDGs to the SDGs
Breaking down SDG 6.1:
- quality, availability, proximity
- gradual progression (service ladder)
Fiorella Polo, UNICEF NY
24
Summary of the primary achievements and gaps in the region
- Updated regional profiles
- Conclusions from the SIASAR AGM
- Focusing on water safety
Identification of gaps (improved vs. safe service, inequalities, geographic, others)
Alban Nouvellon, UNICEF Panama (Regional
Office)
Henry Hernández, PAHO Peru (Regional Office)
9:45-10:15 Refreshments
Time Topic Objectives/Description Facilitator/Speaker
10:15-
12:00
Regional context
Discussion of the primary challenges in the region Eva Manzano, CAWST
Group activity
12:00-
12:30
Closing gaps: global
approach to water safety
Basic pillars and principles of programs focused on the supply and safe management
of water
- Combined approach for a gradual progression
- Water safety models: health-based objectives, risk management models
for water safety plans, water safety plans, oversight and monitoring of
water quality
- Alternative distribution services
- Household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) within the context
of water safety plans
Fiorella Polo, UNICEF NY
Alban Nouvellon, UNICEF Panama
Henry Hernandez, PAHO Peru
Eva Manzano, CAWST
12:30 -
13:30
Lunch
13:30-
14:00
Closing gaps: global
approach to water safety
Basic pillars and principles of programs focused on the supply and safe management
of water
Salua OSORIO, INAGUA, Colombia; Fiorella Polo,
UNICEF NY
25
14:00 -
14:30
Closing gaps: regional
mapping of water safety
and HWTS
Mapping of interventions based on the key pillars or principles of water safety
programs in the region (time permitting)
Fiorella Polo, UNICEF NY
14:30-
15:30
Case study: Colombia.
Context analysis
Context and analysis of challenges and gaps in Colombia.
Differentiated systems: difficult access, difficult management, special conditions,
and rural areas
Technical standards for the validation and selection of HWTS technologies
Diego Felipe Polania, Ministry of Housing,
Colombia
Karen Lopez, Ministry of Housing, Colombia
15:30-
16:00
Refreshments
Time Topic Objectives/Description Facilitator/Speaker
16:00-
17:00
Case study: Colombia.
Closing gaps, strategies,
and approaches for
reaching the SDGs
Inter-sectorial approach to safe water as an environmental factor for health
Adriana Estrada, Ministry of Health, Colombia
17:00-
17:30
Closing Reflections on Day 1 and closing
Evaluation - Day 1
Eva Manzano, CAWST
18:30-
20:30
Welcome cocktail
26
Day 2 TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018
10:30-
11:00
Refreshments
12:45 -
13:45
Lunch
Time Topic Objectives/Description Facilitator/Presenter
8:30-8:45 Opening - Day 2 Summary of key points from Day 1 Iveth Gómez, PAHO, Colombia
Gustavo Solano, UNICEF, Colombia
8:45-10:30 Strategies and
approaches for reaching
the SDGs: focusing on
water safety programs
The cycle of water safety plans (WSPs)
Systematic review and evaluation of WSP implementation
HWTS in the context of WSPs
Fiorella Polo, UNICEF, NY
Justine Rayner, Tufts University, United States
Eva Manzano, CAWST, Canada
11:00-
12:45
Experiences with
implementation and
monitoring of WSPs and
HWTS
Success stories and challenges in the implementation and monitoring of
HWTS/WSPs
- Colombia: HWTS implementation, Nariño
- Colombia: Emergency response, Atlántico
- Colombia: Risk maps, Valle del Cauca
- PWW Honduras: HWTS and community agents
- Nepal: integration of several approaches: WSP + HWTS + HWTS monitoring
programs
- WaterAid Nicaragua: markets and supply chains for HWTS products
- World Bank: HWTS study in rural areas
- PAHO Mexico: Experiences with implementation of WSPs
Julián Téllez, Dept. of Health, Nariño, Colombia
Jorge Villarreal, Dept. of Health, Atlántico
Fabiola Berón, Dept. of Health, Valle del Cauca,
Colombia
Maria Inestroza, PWW, Honduras; Dorian
Robinson, EAWAG, Switzerland
Joshua Briemberg, WaterAid, Nicaragua
Miguel Vargas-Ramirez, World Bank, Panama
Patricia Segurado, PAHO, México
13:45-
14:15
Lessons learned from
implementation
experiences
Reflection on lessons learned from implementation examples presented in the
previous session
Facilitator
27
15:15-
15:45
Refreshments
DAY 3: Wednesday, May 9, 2018 - Field trip
Those who are interested in participating in the field trip will be organized into groups; the groups will be coordinated and supported by the local
organizers.
Field Visit - Group 1: Household biosand filter project and user education in Viotá (Cundinamarca), implemented by Fundación San Cipriano and
Fundación Red Proyecto Gente (FRPG)
Field Visit - Group 2: Ultrafiltration and chlorination system project in schools in Tena (Cundinamarca), implemented by Fundación Agua por la
Vida
14:15-
15:15
Reflections and action
plan
Reflections on discussions form previous sessions
Determination of relevant actions for the region and countries
Facilitator
15:45-
16:45
Action plan Brief presentation of action plans
Summary of regional actions and institutional support
Preparation for field visit
Country presentations
PAHO/UNICEF
Facilitator
16:45-
17:15
Final closing Final reflections
Evaluation
Official closing of the event
Gov’t of Colombia/PAHO and UNICEF
Facilitator
Final closing - authorities
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4.2 Appendix 2: Participant List
Name Organization Country
Adriana Estrada Ministry of Health and Social Protection Colombia
Alban Nouvellon UNICEF Panama
Alejandra Beatriz Ferrero PAHO/WHO Argentina
Alejandro Q. Ministry of Housing, Cities and Territories Colombia
Alexander Torres Diakonie Colombia
Alex Padilla PAHO/WHO Colombia
Andrea Bernal Ministry of Housing, Cities and Territories Colombia
Andrea Mejia Ministry of Housing, Cities and Territories Colombia
Aura Cristina Florez Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Colombia
Beatriz Giraldo National Department of Planning Colombia
Bob Wiens Canadian Association for Participatory Development Canada
Cameron Perra University of Minnesota United States
Carlos Diaz Akvo Colombia
Carlos Francisco Quezada Vega Instituto de Fomento Municipal Guatemala
Carlos Iván Gómez National Public Services Authority Panama
Catalina Cárdenas PAHO/WHO Colombia
César Augusto Castiblanco Montañez Ministry of Health and Social Protection Colombia
César Tobar COSUDE Colombia
29
Claudia Lily Rodriguez Fundación Halu Colombia
Deyling Joxan Icaza López Fondo de Inversión Social para Emergencias, FISE Nicaragua
Diana Vega Ministry of Housing, Cities and Territories Colombia
Didier Bolaños University of Minnesota United States
Diego Felipe Polania Ministry of Housing, Cities and Territories Colombia
Diego Lopez UNICEF Colombia
Dirceu Enrique Vargas Superintendency of Public Services Colombia
Dorian Tosi Robinson EAWAG Switzerland
Dulfredo Ivan Albis Mancilla SENASBA Bolivia
Edna Constanza Moreno Santana Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Colombia
Elsy del Pilar Gonsalez Casas Ministry of Health and Social Protection Colombia
Eva Manzano CAWST Canada
Fabiola Berón Secretariat of Health, Valle del Cauca Colombia
Fiorella Polo UNICEF United States
Germán Fernández INAGUA Colombia
Gina Bautista Ministry of Housing, Cities, and Territories Colombia
Giovanny Alexander Mdano Galeano Ministry of Housing, Cities, and Territories Colombia
Giovanni Rodriguez Ministry of Health and Social Protection Colombia
Gumercindo Ramon Vasquez Tineo INAPA Dominican Republic
Gustavo Solano UNICEF Colombia
Henry Hernandez PAHO/WHO Peru
30
Ivan Castro Fundación Red Proyecto Gente (FRPG) Colombia
Ivette Gomez PAHO/WHO Colombia
Ivonne Tangarife Torres Superservicios Colombia
Jackeline Molina Ministry of Health and Social Protection Colombia
Juan Carlos Murillo DPS Colombia
Jairo Isabel Hernández Alvarado FISE Nicaragua
Jasblehidy Lizarazo Bejarano Ministry of Health and Social Protection Colombia
Jeimy Romero Cundinamarca Regional Autonomous Corporation Colombia
Jesus Olmedo Altamirano Cruz WaterAid Colombia
Jorge Ernesto Villarreal Sanchez Secretariat of Health, Atlántico Colombia
Jose Luis Barreiro Action Against Hunger Colombia
Joshua Briemberg WaterAid Nicaragua
Juan Manuel Flechas Ministry of Housing, Cities, and Territories Colombia
Juanita Ayala Water Youth Network Colombia
Julián Mauricio Téllez Salas Departmental Health Institute, Nariño Colombia
Justine Rayner Tufts University United States
Karys González Ministry of Health and Social Protection Colombia
Karen Lopez Ministry of Housing, Cities, and Territories Colombia
Karen Navarro World Bank Panama
Kevin O’Callaghan Medentech Ireland
Koenraad Vancraeynest UNICEF Ecuador
31
Lady Aguilar Ministry of Housing, Cities, and Territories Colombia
Laura Berdugo UNICEF Colombia
Laura MacDonald CAWST Canada
Lina María Rodriguez Superservicios Colombia
Lukas Socarrás SmartHydro Colombia
Luz Angela Bernal COSUDE Colombia
Maly Johanna Puerto COSUDE Colombia
Manuela Pinilla WaterAid Colombia
Marcela Jimenez Ministry of Health and Social Protection Colombia
Maria Alejandra Cardenas Pinilla Ministry of Health and Social Protection Colombia
Maria Regina Inestroza Mejia Pure Water for the World Honduras
Mario Javier Ballesteros Saltos PAHO/WHO Ecuador
Marion Nonglaton Pure Water for the World Haiti
Martha Lucia Lopez National Department of Planning Colombia
Miguel Vargas-Ramirez World Bank Panama
Mirna Noemy Argueta Irías SANAA Honduras
Orlando Rivera Secretariat of Health Honduras
Paola Chinen Guima SUNAA Peru
Patricia Betsabeth Zambrano Mora ARCSA Ecuador
Patricia Ivonne Rodezno Segurado PAHO/WHO Mexico
Pedro Aldana Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Colombia
32
Ricardo Cerrud Ministry of Health and Social Protection Panama
Rocio Robayo FRPG Colombia
Ron Sawyer Sarar Transformación Mexico
Sabrina Zimmermann World Bank Colombia
Salua Osorio INAGUA Colombia
Sam Schlesinger Green Empowerment Ecuador
Samantha Cruise University of Minnesota United States
Sara Torres Muñoz Ministry of Health and Social Protection Colombia
Seyni Mbaye University of Minnesota United States
Victor Luis Cabrera La Rosa Ministry of Housing Peru
Viviana Angulo Swiss Embassy Colombia
Zoila Novillo Ministry of Health Ecuador
