Water Storage

The indicator assesses the number of households storing drinking water in a way that protects its quality and prevents contamination.

Collect the following data by using observations and conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of your target group members:

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTIONS (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

Q1: Can you please show me where you store your drinking water?

A1: no specific place shown / specific place shown

If a specific place is shown, the data collector needs to observe and record:

Q2 for data collector: Are the water containers clean?

A2 observation: yes / no

Q3 for data collector: Do the water containers have narrow necks and/or protecting covers?

A3 observation: yes / no

Q4 for data collector: Does the container have a tap or narrow mouth for drawing the water?

Q4 observation: yes / no

Water is stored safely only if all three answers to the observation-based questions are YES.

To calculate the indicator’s value:

- divide the number of surveyed households that store their drinking water safely in clean containers by the number of surveyed households (exclude those that did not show where they store drinking water)

- multiply the resulting number by 100 to convert it to a percentage

- multiply the percentage by the total number of the target households

- the result is the total number of the target households that store their drinking water safely in clean containers

During the training of enumerators, discuss and show different examples of "unsafe storage" and "safe storage" (such as a clean container covered with a lid or the risks associated with the different ways of extracting water from the container) as everyone needs to have the same understanding. Clarify what "narrow mouth" means (usually it means that the opening is 3cm or less).