Evaluating a Water Safety Plan Intervention in Ghana

NCT07317167 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: WSP Evaluation
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 4,500
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of water safety plans (WSPs) in rural Ghana. The investigators aim to evaluate the effects of WSPs on water supply system infrastructure, water availability and reliability, water quality, consumer perceptions, water service provider management and financial sustainability, climate resilience, equity, and consumer health.

Conditions

Water Quality; Water Treatment; Diarrhea

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Free chlorine residue in water at point of collection (water quality impacts)

  Free chlorine residue in water at point of collection (public standpipes and private taps) at or above target level of 0.2 mg/L, and at or above detectable level of 0.1 mg/L

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

• E. coli in water at point of collection (water quality impacts)

  E. coli in water at point of collection (binary and categorical)

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

• Total coliform in water at point of collection (water quality impacts)

  Total coliform in water at point of collection (binary)

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

• Turbidity of water at point of collection (water quality impacts)

  Turbidity measured in NTU in water at point of collection

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

• Reliability/availability of water (water supply impacts)

  Reliability/availability of water based on (1) service provider documented interruptions, and (2) consumer reported service interruptions

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

Secondary Outcomes (13)

• Consumer satisfaction (consumer perception impacts)

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

• Household use of enrolled piped water system for drinking (consumer perception impacts)

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

• Households perceive water quality issues with piped water system (consumer perception impacts)

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

• Number of complaints (consumer perception impacts)

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

• Prevalence of diarrhea (health impacts)

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

Other Outcomes (6)

• Number of risk factors identified by sanitary inspections (operational outcomes)

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

• Quality and use of written documentation for water system management (operational outcomes)

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

• Cost recovery (financial outcomes)

  Baseline (before intervention), Endline (approximately 24-months after the start of the intervention)

Study Arms (2)

Water Safety Plan Intervention Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Water Safety Plans

Other: Water Safety Plans

Control Arm

NO INTERVENTION

No Water Safety Plans: Water systems will continue to manage their water supplies without the introduction of water safety plans.

Interventions

Water Safety Plans OTHER

Water safety plans will be implemented at the water system level as a holistic tool for ensuring the safety of drinking water supplies from source to tap. World Health Organization guidance will be followed for implementation and recommended water safety planning steps will be followed such as assembling a WSP Team, describing the water supply, hazard identification and risk assessment, developing and implementing an incremental improvement plan, monitoring control measures to verify the effectiveness of the WSP, and continuously documenting, reviewing, and improving WSP implementation.

Water Safety Plan Intervention Arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Water systems must be operated by a partnering private, non-profit water supplier.
• Water systems must be functional during baseline data collection.
• To be eligible to participate in household surveys or focus group discussions, participants need to be at least 18 years of age and a customer of a eligible water system. To be eligible to participate in health care facility interviews, participants must be at least 18 years of age and work at a health care facility that serves community members using the included water system.

You may not qualify if:

• Water systems had already implemented a water safety plan.
• Water systems were involved in another ongoing research trial with similar expected outcomes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Aquaya Institute: lead
• Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST): collaborator
• Conrad N. Hilton Foundation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The Aquaya Institute

Accra, Ghana

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Diarrhea

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Valerie Bauza

  The Aquaya Institute

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Randomized Controlled Trial

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 20, 2025
• First Posted: January 5, 2026
• Study Start: March 13, 2023
• Primary Completion: February 1, 2026
• Study Completion: February 1, 2026
• Last Updated: January 5, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

GH (1)