Project description

The presence of pesticide residues in water has emerged as a prominent global environmental concern. It underscores the need for enhancing measurement capabilities in this area, which play a pivotal role in supporting monitoring programmes and effective implementation of regulatory measures. These are essential to ensure the quality of water resources, a vital aspect of environmental health and sustainability. This project aligns with Goal 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals “to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all” and "to expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes”.

This project aims to:

1. Provide an overview of regulatory framework and quality infrastructure supporting water safety and quality.

2. Share knowledge on existing and emerging contaminants that affect water safety and quality.

3. Enhance the skills and capabilities of laboratory personnel, scientists and metrologists in pesticide residue analysis.

4. Highlight the importance of metrological traceability and quality control measures.

5. Promote the awareness of metrological services and its values.

6. Engaging stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, standard and conformance bodies, academia, testing laboratories, and industries.

The APMP workshop was conducted in a hybrid format in Singapore from 5 to 7 May 2025. Day 1 of the workshop featured experts’ presentations, while days 2 and 3 focused on sharing high-accuracy methods, measurement uncertainty, hands-on laboratory demonstrations and industry visits. The hybrid format enabled both in-person attendees and virtual participants to engage in the workshop's theoretical and practical components.

The diverse participation from government agencies, testing laboratories, metrology institutes, academic institutions, analytical solution providers and industries fostered valuable knowledge exchange and networking opportunities. The top two objectives that stood out across participants were enhance technical knowledge in pesticide residues analysis and learn about new analytical technologies. Participants gained hands-on experience with high-accuracy methods for pesticide residue analysis and practical laboratory demonstrations on sample preparation and instrumentation analysis, directly addressing the workshop's core technical objectives. The workshop has laid groundwork for future initiatives, including an APMP supplementary comparison/pilot study/case study and APMP-APAC PT programme on pesticide residues in water planned for 2025 to 2026, and pesticides calibration solution planned for 2026 to 2027.