From December 10th to 13th, 2024, Tripoli hosted a Training of Trainers (TOT) session as part of the REBUILD pilot project on Environmental Safety, aimed at enhancing municipal laboratory capacities for ensuring safe drinking water. The training emphasized the microbial quality of drinking water, covering essential topics such as sampling, transport, analysis, and results interpretation, as well as good laboratory practices and the implementation of Water Safety Plans in line with WHO guidelines.
Participants included staff from the Environmental Safety Departments of the five partner municipalities (Bani Walid, Azzawiya, Gharian, Zintan, and Sebha), representatives from regional Environmental Safety Directorates, and staff from the Ministry of Local Government’s Environmental Department. The program integrated a range of topics designed to combine technical expertise with practical skills and training methodologies:
- Adult Learning Teaching Approaches and Methods: Explored effective strategies for adult learning, with a focus on interactive methods and tools to ensure participants can deliver impactful training sessions in their municipalities.
- Microbiological Quality Monitoring of Drinking Water: Focused on the importance of microbiological testing, including an understanding of the parameters and standards for safe drinking water.
- Sampling and Analysis: Highlighted best practices for sampling and transporting water, laboratory analysis techniques, and accurate results interpretation.
- Good Laboratory Practice: Emphasized the importance of maintaining high standards in laboratory operations, including quality control and safety measures.
- Drinking Water Disinfection: Presented various technologies for water disinfection to ensure ongoing water safety.
- Water Safety Plans: Explained the development and implementation of Water Safety Plans (WSPs) according to WHO guidelines, as a comprehensive approach to managing risks in water supply systems.
The program also featured two insightful field visits.
The first visit, to Delta Company, a project partner that supplied equipment and consumables for the laboratories, included a presentation on real-life water analysis processes and a close examination of the laboratory equipment provided to the municipalities, which is similar to the equipment used at Delta’s facilities.
The second visit was to the Environmental Safety Directorate in Tripoli, where participants presented their own versions of Training of Trainers (TOT) materials that they had prepared during the first two days of the program.
The TOT aimed to strengthen the efficiency of bacteriological water analysis in municipal laboratories and enhance the technical capacities of environmental safety staff in the targeted municipalities, with a focus on improving water quality monitoring practices. This initiative marks a significant step forward in supporting municipal efforts to safeguard public health through improved water safety standards.
