The World Health Organization has launched Guidelines for Recreational Water Quality as extreme heat events occur.

They outline health-based water quality targets and best practice for monitoring and surveillance, pollution control and communication efforts to let the public know if it is safe to use water bodies.

The latest Guidelines include several general recommendations based on scientific evidence and best practice from around the world to better protect recreational water users. In particularly, these recommendations are to: set national health-based targets for recreational water bodies; develop recreational water safety plans (RWSPs); conduct regular epidemiologic surveillance of recreational water areas (from Latin recreatio ‘restoration’).

“Implementing these guidelines would go a long way to ensuring that happy memories are made at beaches for generations to come”, said Sanitation and Wastewater Team leader at WHO Kate Medlicott.

Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at WHO Dr. Maria Neira highlighted the need for countries to develop national recreational water safety frameworks.

Ayjahan Ataballyeva