Editorial note

The Protocol on Water and Health aims to promote the protection of human health and well-being by improving water management, including protection of water ecosystems (Article 1). The Protocol commits parties to ensure adequate supplies of wholesome drinking water, adequate sanitation (thorough collective systems), effective protection of drinking water supplies, safeguards for human health against water-related diseases, and effective monitoring (Article 2(2)). These measures are to be based on an assessment of any proposed measure in respect of all its implications for human health, water resources and sustainable development, and are to be guided by the precautionary and polluter pays principles (Articles 4(4) and (5)(a) and (b)). In taking their actions parties are also to be guided by other principles and approaches, including the need to take preventive action, intergenerational equity, to adopt actions at the lowest appropriate administrative level, to make use of economic instruments, to ensure access to information and public participation, and to manage water resources in an integrated manner (Article 5). The Protocol also requires each party to establish and publish national and/or local targets to achieve or maintain a high level of protection against water–related diseases, and to that end to establish appropriate legal and institutional frameworks. Targets are to include inter alia quality of drinking water supplied, reduction of diseases, areas to be covered by collective systems, the occurrence of discharges of untreated waters, and the disposal or reuse of sludge (Article 6).