Public access to environmental information in water supply and sanitation: sharing good practices, identifying gaps and overcoming challenges

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Public access to environmental information in
water supply and sanitationsharing good
practices, identifying gaps and overcoming
challenges

• Ilya Trombitsky
• Moldova

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Protocol on Water and Health as a source in field
of access to information in potable water and
sanitation issues

• Protocol on Water Health, duties of Parties
  (art. 9)
• - Duty to inform public on importance of, and the
  relationship between, water management and public
  health

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Art. 10 Public information

• Each Party shall take steps within the framework
  of legislation to make available to the public
  such information as is held by public authorities
  and is reasonably needed to inform public
  discussion of
• (c) The promotion of public awareness, education,
  training, research, development and information
  in accordance with art. 9.
• Confidentiality provisions are similar with the
  Aarhus Convention

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Setting targets and target dates under Protocol
important process of information and involvement

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Example Moldavian law on potable water (1999)

• Article 13. Information on potable water supply
• Drinking Water Consumers have the right to
  accurate information about its quality, published
  in the media.
• Periodic reporting of the quality of drinking
  water is a duty of enterprises operating drinking
  water systems, and bodies exercising state
  supervision over the quality of drinking water
  with current regulations.
• Reporting of interruptions in water supply is
  free of charge through the media and is a duty of
  enterprise operating drinking water systems.

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Role of water supply companies in information of
public

• Water supply companies Apa Canal are public
  entities and are subjects of Aarhus Convention.
• They regularly place to websites www.acc.md
  potable water parameters 32.
• They have a green tel. line of connection with
  consumers and e-mail
• Also Apa Canals regularly answer on information
  requests coming from public

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Data on ground waters (wells water quality)

• 80 of wells in Moldova have water of bad
  quality. Information is open.
• Main factors
• High nitrates (human impact factor)
• High Flour (natural factor)
• High mineralization (natural factor)

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Publications water quality in springs and wells
important issue for rural population
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Clearing House under the Protocol on Water and
Health as a mechanism of information and
awareness response to Aarhus Convention
provisions

• Rationale for the activity
• Following the provisions of the Protocol on Water
  and Health, the Parties shall publish
  periodically information on the status of water
  resources quality and quantity, incidence on
  water-related diseases the establishment,
  improvement or maintenance of surveillance and
  early-warning systems and contingency plans,
  access to water supply and sanitation and the
  development of water-management plans (articles 7
  and 10).
• The Protocol also establishes that Each Party
  shall ensure that public authorities, in response
  to a request for other information relevant to
  the implementation of this Protocol, make such
  information available within a reasonable time to
  the public, within the framework of national
  legislation (article 10, paragraph 2).
• To this end, in Moldova the Joint Order of MoE
  and MoH No. 91/704 provides the establishment of
  a Clearing House on the Protocol on Water and
  Health and approved also 4 additional targets
  related to the publication of data and
  information (including reports to the Meeting of
  the Parties to the Protocol).

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Target groups of WH CH

• (a) public authorities responsible for water
  management, drinking water quality monitoring and
  surveillance, safe drinking water supply and
  adequate sanitation (ministries, central and
  local agencies, institutions, local authorities)
  
• (b) Environmental and health specialists,
  education sector,
• (c) Water utilities and sanitation facilities
  operators and Water Associations
• (d) Local communities and consumers of water and
  sanitation services and
• (e) Environmental and health NGOs.

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What information to be provided in accordance
with the requirements of the Convention?

• All information available for the authorities
  with possible confidential exceptions. In any
  case the public interest should play a leading
  role for final decision on public access at least
  on request.
• Water quality comparing with standards, prices of
  services.

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What are the public needs ?

• In everyday life people should be periodically
  informed on water supply services quality
  including water quality
• Drafts and Plans, programs, strategies and
  projects data should be available
• Drinking bottled water parameters
• Information on sanitation and hygiene

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Establishing of adequate flow of information to
public authorities

• Cooperation between authorities (ministries of
  environment, of health, of territorial
  development etc.)
• Separation of duties in issue of water supply and
  sanitation
• Establishing of clear rules of information flow
  between business, and authorities
• Data registers available to public

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Inter-agency cooperation to facilitate data
creation, adequate flow, management, access upon
request and active dissemination

• Clear separation of agencies functions in
  collection, storage and provision of information
• Establishing and management of data registers
  with e-access
• Establishing of Water Health Clearing House

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Application of restrictions in public access to
environmental information

• Despite Water Health Protocol establishes
  limitations on access to information on water and
  health, in reality such restrictions are more
  theoretical then practical

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The associated costs

• The general approach free access to already
  collected and stored data
• Payment for information pre-worked on request