ABSTRACT
In 2004, WHO identified a clear public health and environmental protection argument to initiate a project on “Desalination for Safe Water Supply”. As desalination is applied to non-typical source waters and uses non-typical water treatment techniques, the concern had been raised that the existing WHO guidelines for drinking-water quality [164] might not fully cover the unique factors that can be encountered during the production and distribution of desalinated drinking water. With the worldwide need for desalinated water rapidly increasing, the need for an evaluation of desalination technologies was evident. Environmental considerations, which are normally not a field of WHO activities, were included into the topic areas of the project because the protection of coastal ecosystems and groundwater aquifers were considered key concerns besides public health, which should be addressed during the design, construction and operation of a desalination facility.
