Introduction to Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage

WEEK 1: Introduction to Household Water Treatment andSafe Storage
The course begins with a review of the public health impacts of unsafe drinkingwater. We define physical, chemical, and microbial aspects of drinking waterquality and present the major classes of pathogens. Information about pathwaysfor fecal contamination of drinking water are followed by an introduction tothe concept of HWTS and the principal technologies. We discuss the globalrelevance of HWTS with focus on the post-2015 development agenda.

WEEK 2&3: HWTS treatment options
Duringweek 2 and 3 we focus on potential treatment methods. We refer first to thestandards of safe drinking water and improved drinking water. Week 2 focuses onsedimentation and different kinds of filtration.  Week 3 focuses on heat, ultravioletradiation, chemical disinfection. Specific modules are provided to cover safestorage and combined methods of water treatment.

WEEK 4: Implementation strategies for HWTS
Duringweek 4 we analyze different approaches that have been successfully applied. Wehighlight key components which make programs more likely to succeed. We ask thequestions, what is required that the most vulnerable populations use HWTScorrectly and consistently over the long-term? In separate modules we considerthe special case of HWTS in emergency response and provide information aboutthe role of government bodies.

WEEK 5: Monitoring and Evaluating HWTS
During the last week, we present different approaches for monitoring andevaluating HWTS. Case studies and guest lecturers, we highlight several keychallenges, including the need for consistent use and field-robust measurements.The course ends with a wrap-up module, which serves as preparation for thefinal exam.