Summary: Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report “Checklists for strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene emergency preparedness and response: focus on Ukraine.” Developed to support local stakeholders, this report provides practical guidance for delivering safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services and protecting public health during emergencies, especially in conflict-affected settings.
Analyst Note: Water and wastewater utilities could utilize the report to help them inform their preparedness and resilience activities. According to WHO, this publication presents checklists designed to strengthen emergency preparedness and response (“readiness”) of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in conflict settings. The checklists support situation assessments to enhance the resilience of WASH systems during conflict, and to facilitate maintenance – or rapid restoration – of services. The guidance outlines key considerations for setting priorities and progressively improving WASH emergency readiness at the local level.
Developed in the context of the war in Ukraine, the guidance draws on broader emergency principles, including references to international technical resources. The checklists can be adapted to other conflict settings with consideration of local systems, cultures, socioeconomic factors, and risks. Primarily intended for local-level stakeholders – such as authorities responsible for water, sanitation, health and emergency response - the checklists encourage inclusive consultation to assess and enhance emergency preparedness and response planning and to strengthen WASH service resilience.
Original Source: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/381471/WHO-EURO-2025-11711-51483-78591-eng.pdf?sequence=1
Additional Reading:
- It’s Vital to Protect Water Infrastructure During War
- Water increasingly at the center of conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East
Related WaterISAC PIRs: 5
