Water Laboratories in Afghanistan, meeting in ANSA, 13th May 2014

Venue and attendance

Link to ANSA

ANSA conference room.

Attendance from :ANSA, MRRD, MEW, DACAAR, VICC, Construction labs, UNICEF, NORPLAN, Kabul University,

Names of participants (click)

1. Welcome by Dir. Dr. Khatter, ANSA.

ANSA welcomed to the meeting and explaining the purpose of the meeting which was to agree on a Roadmap for starting the establishing a framework for a quality control at water testing laboratories in Afghanistan. Dr. Khateer regretted that the previously announced meeting in March had to be postponed due to security issues , but now he was happy that work could proceed.

2. Background and status, Dir. Dr. Khatter, ANSA.

As addressed previously the lack of quality control systems have now been well acknowledges as a problem for the water testing laboratories. The same problems have been acknowledged in many other countries which has resulted in the need to establish a quality control system so that the results can be trusted which are analysed and handled by water sampling and testing facilities.

ANSA is tasked with establishing standards in Afghanistan. Recently ANSA has also worked closely with the water sector to establish drinking water standards in Afghanistan. With was done with support of key actors including UNICEF.

Now the government wants to focus on improving the quality control of systems applying the international system of Accreditation. ANSA will in the future not be the national accreditation office because when asnalysing the roles of responsibiliites of ANSA it was realised that there could be come conflict of interest if ANSA was to be the national accreditation office. So, in Afghanistan a National accreditation office is planned extablished in 2016. In the interim, ANSA will be the focal government organization or lead the work with establishing quality control standards leading in the future for the highest quality standards for some key laboratories aiming at adapting ISO QC standards. That is the future and the basic setting

For this meeting looking ofward the objectives would be as follows:

Short term

3. Survey of laboratories in Kabul,

Diagram below show suggestion how a consultative committee can be organized linked to a formal structure in ANSA. Under a QC consultative committee, technical working groups can develop material, documentation, standard procedures and perhaps suggestions for framework for certification of laboratories and lab. analytical staff.

Comments from Director Qader, RuWatSIP, MRRD:

Director Ghulam Qader from MRRD emphasized the importance of quality control of the laboratories. Training of staff had taken place but a QC system was needed. MRRD was also consider commercialization of the laboratories so as to collect charges for analytical work so at better to sustain the quality of the water laboratories for operational costs.

Comments from UNICEF. ( Adane Bekele)

Bekele informed the meeting that UNICEF provided support to MRRD and MOPH for the development of water laboratories in Kabul and in the regions. This was important tasks for UNICEF to assure that safe drinking water was being developed for all Afghans. Furthermore, over the last year, UNICEF had also worked with ANSA. Now Afghanistan has drinking water standards

The support to ANSA has also focused on discussion to develop a quality control framework to assure that the established and supported water laboratories could produce trustworthy results. Bekele was now happy to see that a structured quality control framework could now be developed and this would very much be welcomed and supported by UNICEF. Bekele also volunteered to sit in a working group to develop a road-map for the new QC framework for water laboratories in Afghanistan. He was impressed with the proposed action points agreed in this meeting

VICC laboratory:

Very interested in participating in the QC development framework. VICC is certified by American Organization.

VICC has many sets of HACH analytical equipment.

DACAAR laboratory

Representative from DACAAR was present. DACAAR is taking the work on QC very seriously and will be happy to participate in the QC development. Stoveland also presented in separate slide info re from the plans prepared by Betman, DACAAR to develop SOP for laboratories. (pasted from email received from

Betman for info:

1. By the end of July 2014, we will prepare a Standard of Operation Procedure.
2. By end of October- will prepare lab liked environment of DACAAR lab (space, table, freezes, cabinet, sample collection places etc)
3. we are going to buy all standard solutions of chemical test to verify the equipment accuracy and calibration.
4. After getting good environment, we propose to buy few lab equipments.
5. Till this time, we hope ANSO will get accreditation from IAC and we apply for the accreditation

This email indicate that DACAAR will be potential resource in the Consultative committee and in Technical working groups.

MEW:

Representative from MEW also acknowledged that they were very interested in participating with the QC work and they could also participate in technical working groups if necessary.

Comments form Chairman, Dir. Khatter

We have to acknowledge that the path for accreditation will take time. It may be necessary to first establish a national QC system as indicated in the meeting before a national Accreditation office can be established and before individual laboratories can be accredited in line with ISO 17025. This work is important and we will now make a start and ANSA is in full support.

Agreed on next steps:/ action points

Chairman Dr. Khatter summarized the discussion which agreed on the following:

All agreed that a Quality control and Quality Assurance system(s) is essential for laboratories

1. A technical working group should prepare a road-map to be presented in a meeting by laboratory owners where a Quality Control Consultative Committee or "Technical Committee" should be established.
2. NORPLAN with Stoveland was asked to lead the working group working together with ANSA, Dr. Khateer, UNICEF: Adane Bekele, MRRD: person yet to be named, DACAAR: proposed Betman (who is about to prepare SOPs for the DACAAR lab), MEW: wants to participate, VICC laboratory: and possibly more. Stoveland will take imitative to gather the group via Internet first.
3. It was proposed that the road-map should be ready for the constitution committee on 24th of March 2014. Meeting to be organized and invited by ANSA.
4. At that meeting, different technical working groups under the consultative committee could be established,. It was mentioned that one group could work on policy issues.
5. Each technical committee should have its own TOR.

Road Map: What type of docuent are we talking about?

The draft road map for presentation to teh next consultative meeting could be a document on 2-3 pages in lenth, not a huge document, but a strategic document.

Photo as many of the participants were getting ready for the meeting. Dir. Khatter in front , left, and Dir. ¨Qader front, right.