Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality

The fourth edition incorporating the first and second addenda, of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Guidelines for drinking-water quality (GDWQ) builds on over 60 years of guidance by WHO on drinking-water quality, which has formed an authoritative basis for the setting of national regulations and standards for water safety in support of public health. It is the product of significant revisions to clarify and elaborate on ways of implementing its recommendations of contextual hazard identification and risk management, through the establishment of health-based targets, catchment-to-consumer water safety plans, and independent surveillance.

Updates in this latest edition reflect new evidence and further, provide additional explanations to support better understanding and application of the guidance. More details on the updates are included in the GDWQ preface.