UGANDA STANDARD  
  US EAS 12 
First  Edition  
2014-10-15 
 
 Reference number  
US EAS 12: 2014 
© UNBS 201 4 
  
Potable water — Specification  
 US EAS 12: 2014 
ii                © UNBS 2014 - All rights reserved 
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2014 
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to 
The Executive Director 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
P.O. Box 6329 
Kampala 
Uganda 
Tel: 256 41 505 995 
Fax: 256 41 286 123 
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 US EAS 12: 2014 
© UNBS  2014 - All rights reserved                iii National foreword 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and 
Industry established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda. UNBS is mandated to co-ordinate the elaboration 
of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT/SPS Agreements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, academicians, manufacturers, government and other stakeholders. 
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council. 
This Uganda Standard, US EAS 12: 2014 , Potable water — Specification , is identical with  and has been 
reproduced from an East African  Standard, EAS 12: 2014, Potable water — Specification , and adopted  as a 
Uganda Standard.  
This standard cancels and replaces US 201:2008, Drinking (potable) water – Specification, which has been 
technically revised. 
 
Wherever the words, “ East African Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard."  
   EAS 12: 2014 
ICS 13.060.20 
© EAC 2014                                                                                                                         Second Edition 2014  
 
EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
Potable water — Specification 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY EAS 12: 2014 
ii © EAC 2014 – All rig hts reserved  
 Copyright notice 
This EAC document is copyright-protected by EAC. While the reproduction of this document by 
participants in the EAC standards development process is permitted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form for 
any other purpose without prior written permission from EAC. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the purpose of selling it should be addressed 
as shown below or to EAC’s member body in the country of the requester:  
© East African Community 2014  — All rights reserved 
East African Community  
P.O.Box 1096 
Arusha 
Tanzania 
Tel: 255 27 2504253/8 
Fax: 255 27 2504481/2504255 
E-mail: eac@eachq.org 
       Web: www.eac-quality.net 
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be persecuted EAS 12: 2014 
© EAC 2014 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents Page 
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ............................................................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ...........................................................  3 
4 Requirements for potable water  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 4 
4.1 General requirem ents ................................ ................................ ...........................................................  4 
4.2 Specific quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 4 
4.2.1  Physical characteristics  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................... 4 
4.2.2  Chemical characteristics  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 5 
4.2.3  Chemical characteristics affecting the safety of potable water  ................................ ....................... 6 
4.2.4  Organi c contaminants ................................ ................................ ...........................................................  7 
4.2.5  Microbiological contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 8 
4.2.6  Radioactive characteristics  ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 9 
5 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 9 
5.1 Sampling requirements ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 9 
5.2 Parameters required for minimum monitoring  ................................ ................................ ................. 10 
Annex A (informative)   .................................................................................................................................... 11 
Annex B ( normative)   ...................................................................................................................................... 12 
Bibliography ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 
 EAS 12: 2014 
iv © EAC 2014 – All rig hts reserved  
 Foreword 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
In order to achieve this objective, the Community established an East African Standards Committee mandated 
to develop and issue East African Standards.   
The Committee is composed of representatives of the National Standards Bodies in Partner States, together 
with the representatives from the private sectors and consumer organizations. Draft East African Standards 
are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the Partner States. The comments 
received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in accordance with the procedures 
of the Community. 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
FDEAS 12 was prepared by Technical Committee  EASC/TC 075, Environment, Health and Safety . 
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition  (EAS 12:2000),  which has been technically revised.  EAS 12: 2014 
© EAC 2014 – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction 
The provision of safe and quality drinking-water is high priority for human health.  
The appearance, taste and odour of drinking-water should be acceptable to the consumer. This will build the 
confidence of consumers, avoid complaints and, more importantly, prevent consumers from the use of water 
from sources that may be unsafe. 
Safety of water is affected by several factors including environmental, the nature of the source, the human 
activities undertaken on or around the sources and the water harvesting, handling and treatment that may be 
undertaken. Thus, water may be exposed to physical, chemical and microbiological contamination that may 
make water unsafe for human consumption.  
A few chemical contaminants have been shown to cause adverse health effects in humans as a consequence 
of prolonged exposure through drinking-water however; some inorganic elements are also recognized to be 
essential elements in human nutrition. 
Infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, viruses and parasites (e.g. protozoa and helminths) are 
the most common and widespread health risk associated with drinking-water. The greatest risk to public 
health from microbes in water is associated with consumption of drinking-water that is contaminated with 
human and animal excreta, although other sources and routes of exposure may also be significant. 
Consumers have no means of judging the safety of their drinking-water themselves. Water producers have a 
challenge of ensuring the quality and safety of water they provide. Regulators are required to establish health-
based targets that must be met by water operators. 
This standard sets minimum requirements for physical, chemicals and microbiological characteristics that 
affect safety and quality of drinking water. The use of this standard is expected to ensure provision of safe and 
quality drinking water for human consumption.  
 EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  EAS 12:2013  
4 
© EAC 2014 – All rights reserved  1 
 Potable water — Specification 
1 Scope 
This Final Draft East African Standard specifies requirements and methods of sampling and test for potable 
water (treated  potable water and natural potable water).  
2 Normative references 
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced 
document (including any amendments) applies. 
ASTM D 5907, Standard test methods for filterable matter (total dissolved solids) and non-filterable matter 
(total suspended solids) in water  
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry ━ Code of practice  
ISO 10359 , Water quality --  Determination of fluoride 
ISO 10523, Water qualit y -- Determination of pH 
ISO 11423 , Water quality -- Determination of benzene and some derivatives 
ISO 11732 , Water quality -- Determination of ammonium nitrogen -- Method by flow analysis (CFA and FIA) 
and spectrometric detection 
ISO 11885 , Water quality -- Determination of selected elements by inductively coupled plasma optical 
emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) 
ISO 11923, Water quality -- Determination of suspended solids by filtration through glass-fibre filters 
ISO 11969 , Water quality -- Determination of arsenic -- Atomic absorption spectrometric method (hydride 
technique) 
ISO 12020, Water quality -- Determination of aluminium ━ Atomic absorption spectrometric methods 
ISO 12846, Water quality -- Determination of mercury -- Method using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) 
with and without enrichment 
ISO 13877 , Soil quality -- Determination of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons -- Method using high -
performance liquid chromatography  
ISO 14402 , Water quality -- Determination of phenol index by flow analysis (FIA and CFA) 
ISO 14911 , Water quality -- Determination of dissolved Li+, Na+, NH4+, K+, Mn2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Sr2+ and 
Ba2+ using ion chromatography -- Method for water and waste water  
ISO 15061 , Water quality -- Determination of dissolved bromate -- Method by liquid chromatography of ions EAS 12: 2014 
2 © EAC 2014 – All rig hts reserved  
 ISO 15089 , Water quality -- Guidelines for selective immunoassays for the determination of plant treatment 
and pesticide agents 
ISO 15681 , Water quality -- Determination of orthophosphate and total phosphorus contents by flow analysis 
(FIA and CFA) 
ISO 16265 , Water quality -- Determination of the methylene blue active substances (MBAS) index -- Method 
using continuous flow analysis (CFA) 
ISO 16266, Water quality -- Detection and enumeration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ━ Method by membrane 
filtration 
ISO 21567, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs ━ Horizontal method for the detection of Shigella 
spp. 
ISO 22743, Water quality -- Determination of sulfates -- Method by continuous flow analysis (CFA)  
ISO 4832, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs ━ Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms ━ Colony-count technique 
ISO 5961, Water quality -- Determination of cadmium by atomic absorption spectrometry  
ISO 6059, Water quality -- Determination of the sum of calcium and magnesium -- EDTA titrimetric method  
ISO 6222, Water quality -- Enumeration of culturable microorganisms ━ Colony count by inoculation in 
nutrient agar culture media 
ISO 6332, Water quality -- Determination of the chemical oxygen demand 
ISO 6333, Water quality -- Determination of manganese -- Formaldoxime spectrometric method 
ISO 6461 , Water quality -- Detection ad enumeration of the spores of sulphite-reducing anaerobes (clostridia) 
━ Method by membrane filtration  
ISO 6703, Water quali ty -- Determination of cyanide 
ISO 6777, Water quality -- Determination of nitrite -- Molecular absorption spectrometric method 
ISO 6785, Milk and milk products -- Detection of Salmonella spp. 
ISO 6888 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs ━ Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulass-positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species)  
ISO 7027 Water quality -- Determination of turbidity 
ISO 7393, Water quality -- Determination of free chlorine and total chlorine 
ISO 7887, Water quality -- Determination of colour 
ISO 7888, Water quality -- Determination of electrical conductivity 
ISO 7890, Water quality -- Determination of nitrate -- Part 3: Spectrometric method using sulfosalicylic acid  
ISO 7899, Water quality -- Detection and enumeration of intestinal anterccocci 
ISO 7980, Water quality -- Determination of calcium and magnesium -- Atomic absorption spectrometric 
method 
ISO 8165, Water quality -- Determination of selected monovalent phenols EAS 12: 2014 
© EAC 2014 – All rights reserved  3 
 ISO 8245, Water quality -- Guidelines for the determination of total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved 
organic carbon (DOC) 
ISO 8288, Water quality -- Determination of cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium and lead -- Flame atomic 
absorption spectrometric methods  
ISO 9174 , Water quality -- Determination of chromium -- Atomic absorption spectrometric methods 
ISO 9297, Water quality -- Determination of chloride ━ Silver nirate titration with chromate indicator (Mohr’s 
method) 
ISO 9308 , Water quality -- Detection and enumeration of Escherichia colli and coliform bacteria  
ISO 9390 , Water quality -- Determination of borate -- Spectrometric method using azomethine-H  
ISO 9696 , Water quality -- Measurement of gross alpha activity in non-saline water -- Thick source method 
ISO 9697 , Water quality -- Measurement of gross beta activity in non-saline water -- Thick source method 
ISO 9964 , Water quality -- Determination of sodium and potassium  
ISO 9965 , Water quality -- Determination of selenium -- Atomic absorption spectrometric method (hydride 
technique) 
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply. 
3.1 
potable water 
water that is safe and suitable for human consumption 
3.2 
drinking water 
potable water intended for human consumption 
3.3 
treated water  
water that has undergone through processes such as flocculation, coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and 
disinfection 
3.4 
natural potable water  
water that is from natural sources that is fit for human consumption without undergoing any form of treatment 
which will alter its original chemical composition and bacteriological purity 
3.5 
conventional treatment  
process involving deliberate coagulation, flocculation sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection to improve the 
safety and quality of the finished drinking water to consumers 
3.6 
water quality  
the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water in respect to suitability for human consumption EAS 12: 2014 
4 © EAC 2014 – All rig hts reserved  
 3.7 
safe water 
water that is free from physical, chemical and/or biological substances in concentrations which could cause 
illness or injury to consumers 
3.8 
surveillance  
an independent continuous, specific measurement, observation and reporting for the purpose of water quality 
management and operational activities 
3.9 
disinfection 
reduction by means of chemical agents and/or physical methods, of the number of micro-organism to a level 
that does not compromise public health 
3.10 
potable water distribution system 
public or private water systems providing consumers with tap water suitable for direct consumption 
3.11 
approved water supply 
source of water that has been inspected and approved by the competent authority for human consumption 
4 Requirements for potable water 
4.1 General requirements 
4.1.1  Potable water shall be free from organisms and chemical substances that are hazardous and injurious 
to human health and shall comply with requirements in Table 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. 
4.1.2  The location, construction, operation and supervision of water supply source, its reservoirs and its 
distribution system shall be such that they exclude any possible pollution of the water in compliance with 
relevant national regulations. 
4.1.3  Potable water shall be handled under hygienic conditions as stipulated in EAS 39. 
4.2 Specific quality requirements 
4.2.1  Physical characteristics  
Potable water shall conform to the physical characteristics in Table 1. EAS 12: 2014 
© EAC 2014 – All rights reserved  5 
 Table 1— Physical requirements for potable water 
 
4.2.2  Chemical characteristics  
Potable water shall conform to the chemical characteristics affecting quality indicated in Table 2 . 
Table 2 — Quality requirements for potable water 
Sl. No.  Substance or characteristic  Treated potable 
water  
(mg/L max.)  Natural potable water  
(mg/L max.)  Method  of 
test  
i) Total dissolved solids  700 1500  ASTM D 
5907 
ii) Total hardness, as CaCO 3, 300 600 ISO 6059  
iii) Aluminium, as Al+++, 0.2 0.2 ISO 12020  
iv) Chloride, as Cl- 250 250 ISO 9297  
v) Total Iron as Fe  0.3 0.3 ISO 6332  
vi) Sodium, as Na+ 200 200 ISO 9964 -1 
vii) Sulphate SO 4 400 400  ISO 22743  Sl. No.  Characteristic  Treated potable water  Natural potable 
water  Method of test  
i) Colour  (TCUa max)   15 50 ISO 7887  
ii) Turbidity (NTU 
max)  5 25 ISO 7027  
iii) pH 6.5 – 8.5 5.5-9.5 ISO 10523  
iv) Taste  Not objectionable  Not objectionable  - 
v) Odour  Odourless  Odourless  - 
vi) Conductivity 
(µS/cm)max  1500  2500 ISO 7888  
vii) Suspended matter  Not detectable  Not de tectable  ISO 11923  
a) True colour units (TCU) mean 15 hazen units after filtration.  EAS 12: 2014 
6 © EAC 2014 – All rig hts reserved  
 viii) Zinc, as Zn++ 5 5 ISO 8288  
ix) Magnesium, as Mg++ 100 100 ISO 7980  
x) Calciu m, as Ca++ 150 150 ISO 7980  
 
4.2.3  Chemical characteristics affecting the safety of potable water 
4.2.3.1 Inorganic contaminants 
Potable water shall conform to the limits of inorganic contaminants affecting safety indicated in Table 3. EAS 12: 2014 
© EAC 2014 – All rights reserved  7 
 Table 3 —  Limits for inorganic contaminants in natural and treated potable water  
Sl. No.  Substance  Treated potable water 
limit of concentration  
mg/L, max.  Natural 
potable water  Method of t est  
 
i) Arsenic, as As  0.01 0.01 ISO 11969  
ii) Cadmium, as Cd  0.003  0.003  ISO 5961  
iii) Lead, as Pb  0.01 0.01 ISO 8288  
iv) Copper, as Cu  1.000  1.000  ISO 8288  
v) Mercury (total as Hg)  0.001  0.001  ISO 12846  
vi) Manganese, as Mn  0.1 0.1 ISO 6333  
vii) Selenium, as Se  0.01 0.01 ISO 9965  
viii) Ammonia (NH3) 0.5 0.5 ISO 11732  
ix) Chromi um Total, as Cr  0.05 0.05 ISO 9174  
x) Nickel, as Ni  0.02 0.02 ISO 8288  
xi) Cyanide, as CN  0.01 0.01 ISO 6703  
xii) Barium, as Ba  0.7 0.7 ISO 14911  
xiii) Nitrate as NO 3- 45 45 ISO 7890  
xiv) Boron, as Boric acid  2.4 2.4 ISO 9390  
xv) Fluoride, as F  1.5 1.5 ISO 10359  
xvi) Bromate, as BrO 3- 0.01 0.01 ISO 15061  
xvii) Nitrite  0.003  0.003  ISO 6777  
xviii) Molybdenum  0.07 0.07 ISO 11885  
xix) Phosphates, as PO 43- 2.2 2.2 ISO 15681  
xx) Residual free Chlorine  0.2-0.5 a Absent  ISO 7393  
a Under conditions of epi demic diseases, it may be necessary to increase the residual chlorine temporarily.  
 
4.2.4  Organic contaminants 
Potable water shall conform to the limits of organic contaminants affecting safety indicated in Table 4. EAS 12: 2014 
8 © EAC 2014 – All rig hts reserved  
  
Table 4 — Limits for organic contaminants in treated and natural potable water 
Sl. No.  
 Substance (Arrange alphabetical 
order)  Limit µg/L max.  Method of 
test 
 
i) Aromatics  - 
Benzene  10 ISO 11423  
Toluene  700 - 
Xylene  500 - 
Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon  0.7 ISO 13877  
ii) Chlorinate d Alkanes and Alkenes  
Carbon tetrachloride  2 - 
 1,2-Dichloroethane  30 - 
 1,1-Dichloroethylene  0.3 - 
 1,1-Dichloroethene  30 - 
 Tetrachloroethene  40 - 
iii) Phenolic substances  
 Phenols  2 ISO 8165  
 2,4,6 -Trichlorophenol  200 ISO 14402  
iv) Trihalometh anes  
 Chloroform  30 - 
v) Pesticides  
 Aldrin/Dieldrin  0.03 “ISO 15089  
  Chlordane (total)  0.3 
 2,4- Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid  30 
 DDT (total)  1 
 Heptachlor and Heptachlor Epoxide  0.03 
 Hexachlorobenzene  1 
 Lindane BHC  2 
 Methoxychlor  20 
vi) Surfactants  (reacting with methylene 
Blue)  200 ISO 16265  
vii) Mineral oil  0.01 - 
viii) Organic matter  3 - 
 
4.2.5  Microbiological contaminants 
Potable water shall conform to the microbial limits affecting safety as indicated in Table 5. EAS 12: 2014 
© EAC 2014 – All rights reserved  9 
 Table 5 — Microbiological limits for potable water 
 
 
4.2.6  Radioactive characteristics 
Potable water shall conform to the limits for radioactive materials stipulated in Table 6. 
 
Table 6 — Limits for radioactive materials in treated and natural potable water  
Sl. No.  Radioactive 
material  Limits in  
Bq/L  Method of test  
i) Gross alpha activity  0.5 ISO 9696  
ii) Gross beta activity  1 ISO 9697  
5 Sampling 
5.1 Sampling requirements  
Sampling shall be done as guided in Table 7 below.  Sl. No.  Type of micro -organism  Potable water  Method of 
test  
i) Total viable counts at 22 ºC , 
in mL, max. a) 100 
  
 
ISO 6222  Total viable counts at  
37 ºC, in mL, max. a) 50 
ii) Total Coliforms b) in 100 mL  Absent  ISO 4832  
iii) E. coli  b)in 100 mL  Absent   
ISO 9308 -1 
iv) Staphylococcus aureus in 
100 mL  Absent   
ISO 6888 -1 
v) Sulphite reducing anaerobes 
in100 mL  Absent   
ISO 6461 -2 
vi) Pseudomonas aeruginos a 
fluorescence in 100 mL  Absent  ISO 16266  
vii) Streptococ cus faecalis  in 
100mL  Absent  ISO 7899 -2 
viii) Shigella  in 100 mL  absent  ISO 21567  
ix) Salmonella  in 100 mL  Absent  ISO 6785  
a This parameter is for monitoring the system at source. Total time before analysis should be not 
more than 6 h at 4 ºC. Determina tion of total viable counts shall start within 12 h after collection of 
the potable water sample.  
b During the bacteriological quality control for different types of water supply, refer to Annex A . EAS 12: 2014 
10 © EAC 2014 – All rig hts reserved  
 Table 7 — Minimum frequency of sampling of water for surveillance 
Population served (P)  Frequency * (minimum) of sampling  
P >100 000  10 samples every month per 100 000 of population served  
25 001 – 100 000  10 samples every month  
10 001 – 25 000  3 samples every month  
2 500 – 10 000  2 samples every month  
P <2 500  1 sample every month  
* During the rainy season, sampling should be car ried out more frequently .  
 
5.2 Parameters required for minimum monitoring 
It is recognized that, in many instances, the cost of performing a full analysis against Table 1, Table 2, Table 
3, Table 4, Table 5, Table 6 and Table 7 can be prohibitive. 
Analysis of the parameters in Table 8 may be deemed acceptable for the purpose of indicating on going levels 
of operational efficiency in a water treatment plant. However, a relevant authority may require additional tests. 
Table 8 — Physico-chemical and microbiological parameters required for minimum 
monitoring  
 
 
If abnormal results are encountered in any of these analyses, sampling frequency shall be increased and/or 
additional analyses carried out. 
NOTE A consumer complaints register for the aesthetic qualities of the water should be maintained. Property  Methods of test  
Physicochemical : 
Conductivity, or dissolved solids  
Colour  
Turbidity;  
Taste  
Odour  See Table 1  
 
 
 
Microbiological:  
Faecal coliform bacteria or E. coli ; 
Shigella spp  
Salmonella spp  See Table 5  
 
Chemical:  
Fluoride as F- 
Nitrate  
Nitrite  
pH value  
Aluminum  
Iron(total)  
Ammonia  
Residual chlorine  See Table 3  EAS 12: 2014 
© EAC 2014 – All rights reserved  11 
 Annex A 
(informative) 
 
Bacteriological quality requirements for different types of water supplies 
A summary of bacteriological quality requirement s for different types of water supplies is given in Table A.1 
below. 
Table A.1 — Bacteriological quality requirements for different types of water supplies 
Type of supply  Number per 100 ml  Methods of 
test  
Treated water entering the 
distribution system  E. coli Absent  
ISO 4832  
 Coliform organisms  Absent  
Untreated water entering 
the distribution system  E. coli  Absent  
3 coliform organisms in any one 
sample  
Absent in any two consecutive 
samples  
Absent  in 98 % of yearly 
samples  
Water in distrib ution 
system  E. coli  Absent  
3 coliform organisms in any one 
sample  
Absent  in any two consecutive 
samples  
Absent in 95 % of yearly 
samples  
Unpiped supplies  E. coli  
Coliform organisms  Absent  
10 
Emergency supplies of 
water  E. coli  
Coliform  organisms  Absent  
Absent  
 
 EAS 12: 2014 
12 © EAC 2014 – All rig hts reserved  
 Annex B  
(Normative) 
 
Water safety plans 
B.1 Drinking water systems operators should develop, implement and maintain a water safety plan taking 
into consideration the potential risks to the safety of the water from the supply catchment area to the 
consumer.  
B.2 A water safety plan should consist of three key components:  
a) system assessment to determine whether the drinking-water supply chain (up to the point of 
consumption) as a whole can deliver water of a quality that meets health-based targets;  
b) identifying control measures in a drinking water system that will collectively control identified risks and 
ensure that the health-based targets are met; and  
c) management plans describing actions to be taken during normal operation or incident conditions and 
documenting the system assessment (including upgrade and improvement), monitoring and 
communication plans and supporting programmes.  
B.3 A water safety plan should includ e:  
a) measures to protect the source of drinking water from risks of pollution; 
b) measures to ensure all installations intended for the production of drinking water exclude any possibility of 
contamination. For this purpose and in particular:  
 the installation for collection, the pipes and the reservoirs should be made from materials suited 
to the water and in such a way as to prevent the introduction of foreign substances in water;  
 the equipment and its use for production should meet hygienic requirements;  
c) measures to ensure an appropriate treatment such as pre-treatment processes, coagulation, flocculation, 
sedimentation, filtration and disinfection are undertaken to assure the safety of water for the consumers;  
d) appropriate operational monitoring system including monitoring parameters that can be measured and for 
which limits have been set to define the operational effectiveness of the activity; frequency of monitoring 
and procedures for corrective action that can be implemented in response to deviation from limits. If, 
during production it is found that the water is polluted, the producer shall stop all operations until the 
cause of pollution is eliminated; and  
e) a verification plan to ensure that individual components of a drinking-water system, and system as a 
whole is operating safely.  
B.4 Surveillance  
B.4.1 General surveillance requirements  
Drinking-water suppliers should ensure, at all times, the quality and safety of the water that they produce. 
Public health surveillance (that is, surveillance of health status and trends) contributes to verifying drinking-
water safety.  EAS 12: 2014 
© EAC 2014 – All rights reserved  13 
 Adequate infrastructure, proper monitoring and effective planning and management; and a system of 
independent surveillance are basic and essential requirements to ensure the safety of drinking-water.  
Surveillance should cover the total supply network from the source of untreated water to the consumer 
delivery points.  
A sampling programme that takes into consideration appropriate international recommendations should be 
established and implemented. The sampling should be regular and its frequency should mainly depend on the 
following factors  
a) quality of water harnessed including effects on the water from climatic, human and industrial activities;  
b) type of treatment for drinking worthiness;  
c) volume of water processed;  
d) risks of contamination;  
e) background of public water supply network;  
f) population served; and  
g) capabilities of the analytical facility (both in terms of capacity and in terms of analytical performance) EAS 12: 2014 
14 © EAC 2014 – All rig hts reserved  
 Bibliography 
[1] Guidelines for drinking water quality, fourth edition 2011, WHO. 
[2] Code of hygienic practice for bottled/packaged drinking waters (other than natural mineral waters)  
CAC/RCP 48-2001   EAS 12: 201 4   
 
© EAC 2014  – All rights reserved