Public health without water? Emergency water supply and minimum supply standards of hospitals in high-income countries using the example of Germany and Austria

ABSTRACT

The drinking water supply is a core element of national regulations for normal and emergency supply as well as coping with crisis events. Particularly with regard to the interdependence of critical infrastructures means that water supply failures can have far-reaching consequences and endanger the safety of a society, e.g., by impairing hospital operations. In case of an emergency in the drinking water infrastructure, minimum supply standards, e.g., for patients in hospitals, become important for emergency management during crisis situations. However, wider recognition of this issue is still lacking, particularly in countries facing comparably minor water supply disruptions. Several international agencies provide guideline values for minimum water supply standards for hospitals in case of a disaster. Acknowledging these minimum standards were developed for humanitarian assistance or civil protection, it remains to be analyzed whether these standards apply to disaster management in countries with high water and healthcare supply standards. Based on a literature review of scientific publications and humanitarian guidelines, as well as policies from selected countries, current processes, contents, and shortcomings of emergency water supply planning are assessed. To close the identified gaps, this paper indicates potential improvements for emergency water supply planning in general as well as for supply of hospitals and identifies future fields of research.