Water Quantity

The indicator assesses the proportion of households whose members have access to collect sufficient quantity of safe water for meeting their needs (the amount of 15 litres is based on the Sphere Standards).

Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of the household members who are responsible for water collection and the handling the household's drinking water.responsible for water collection: 

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

(ask the following question only if you have not asked it in the previous sections of the questionnaire) 

Q1: How many children and adults currently live in your household?  

A1: ............ specify the number of children  

Q2: What container do you most commonly use for collecting or storing water? 

A2 - specify the container's volume: ............ liters 

Q3: How many of such water containers do your household members use per one day for drinking and cooking? 

A3: ............ specify the number of containers  

(ask the following question only if you have not asked it earlier) 

Q4: During this season, where do your household members collect water for drinking and cooking? 

A4: 

1) tube well or borehole  

2) protected shallow well  

3) harvested rainwater  

4) piped water/public tap  

5) protected spring  

6) surface water source (river, stream, pond, puddles, unprotected spring)  

7) unprotected/ open shallow well 

8) cart with small tank/drum 

9) tanker-truck 

10) other: ................................ 

NOTE: Only options 1 – 5 count as “safe water sources” 

Q5: How many of such water containers do your household members use per one day for personal hygiene? 

A5: ............ specify the number of containers  

To calculate the indicator's value, take the following steps: 

   1) count the number of households that are able to access at least 15 liters of water per each person living in the houlshold per day and their drinking water comes from safe water source(s) 

   2) divide this number by the total number of respondents 

   3) multiply the result by 100 

What activities should the indicator be used for?

Activities to improve water services; important indicator for baseline and endline surveys;

Key action points related to this indicator are (refer to SPHERE 2018 chapter 2.1):

• Identify the most appropriate groundwater or surface water sources, taking account of potential environmental impacts.
• Consider seasonal variations in water supply and demand, and mechanisms for accessing drinking water, domestic water and water for livelihoods.
• Understand different sources of water, suppliers and operators, and access to water within communities and households.
• Determine how much water is required and the systems needed to deliver it.
• Work with stakeholders to locate waterpoints that allow safe and equitable access for all community members.
• Establish operation and maintenance systems that assign clear responsibilities and include future needs for sustainable access.
• Ensure appropriate waterpoint drainage at household and communal washing, bathing and cooking areas and handwashing facilities.
• Look for opportunities to reuse water, such as for vegetable gardens, brick-making or irrigation.

1) The water for drinking and cooking must come from a safe source (as defined in the Water Source indicator).  

2) Read Sphere's Water supply standard 1: Access and water quantity for a detailed breakdown of the minimum water requirements (per person) for the three main purposes - drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.  

3) Ensure that the data collectors count all people who currently live in the household, including people who are not regular household members, such as internally displaced persons.   

4) Ensure that the data collectors are familiar with the main types of water containers the respondents use and know their volume (number of liters). 

5) ECHO's list of its Key Result Indicators (KRI) uses a different water supply indicator: "number of people having access to sufficient and safe water for domestic use". ECHO's guidance on the use of this indicator is available below.  

6) For emergency livestock water needs, refer to Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards.