Abstract

AMEZQUITA MARROQUIN, Claudia Patricia; PEREZ VIDAL, Andrea  and  TORRES LOZADA, Patricia. RISK ASSESSMENT IN WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS FRAMED IN A WATER SAFETY PLAN. Rev.EIA.Esc.Ing.Antioq [online]. 2014, n.21, pp.157-169. ISSN 1794-1237.

The risk assessment is a key stage in a Water Safety Plan (WSP) and it is achieved by the identification of hazards or hazardous events and the risk estimation. This study evaluated the health risks in the Drinking Water Distribution System (DWDS) of the city of Cali (Colombia) which is supplied by the Cauca River; the hazardous events were identified and subsequently the risk estimation was made using a semi-quantitative risk matrix, previously adapted. The risk estimation was made initially without considering the existing control measures in the DWDS and then, the risks were re-estimated considering the level of effectiveness of them. The results showed the events with the highest level of risk associated with the loss of physical and hydraulic integrity of the DWDS (damage to water pipelines, pressure fluctuations, lack of systematic information on the DWDS, human failures, and lack of training, supervision and awareness about the concept of safety drinking water, internal and external corrosion in the elements of the DWDS). The risk assessment is a management tool for water providers which allow prioritizing the human and financial resources toward improving the control measures as a strategy to reduce health risks and ensure the quality of drinking water in the DWDS.

Keywords : Risk Assessment; Hazard Identification; Semi-Quantitative Risk Matrix; Water Safety Plan (WSP); Drinking Water Distribution Systems (DWDS).

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