Water-Saving Measures

This indicator measures the extent to which the target group members follow the promoted ways of using water more efficiently.

Determine the indicator's value by using the following methodology:

1) List the water-saving measures promoted by your intervention. These can be any measures that reduce the amount of water used by the target group members.

2) Define how many measures a respondent needs to practice to be considered as ‘following water-saving measures’. For example, using at least 3 out of 5 promoted measures (the benchmark should be pretested so that it is not unrealistically high or unnecessarily low). Alternatively, it is possible that you are promoting one or more “essential” measures that are especially impactful. A person can be considered as ‘following water-saving measures’ only if s/he is using them. In such a case, the minimum requirement can be defined as following the “essential” measure(s) and at least a certain number of other promoted measures.

3) Conduct individual interviews with a representative sample of the target group members, using the following questions:

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

Q1: There are different ways in which people can reduce the amount of water they use in their daily lives. Do you do anything to reduce the amount of water you use? 

A1: yes / no

(ask the following question only if the response to the previous question is “yes”)

Q2: Which water-saving methods do you use? Probe at least twice: What else do you do to reduce the amount of water you use?

A2: list the promoted practices + include an option “other – specify: ………………….”

4) Count the number of respondents who follow at least the minimum number (or type) of promoted measures (see step 2).

5) To determine the indicator’s value, divide the number of respondents who follow at least the minimum number of promoted measures by the total number of respondents. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Disaggregate the data by the type of water-saving measures used, gender (if relevant), age group, and any other factor relevant to the focus and context of the intervention.

1) Examples of water-saving measures that household members can use include: using water-saving devices (e.g. tap aerators, efficient showerheads), switching the tap off when water is not required at that moment, taking shorter showers, reusing grey water (e.g. from washing dishes), watering the garden in the evening to reduce evaporation, using a drip irrigation system, reducing soil water evaporation (e.g. by mulching), and collecting rainwater.

2) In the case of some measures (e.g. those that are easy to observe), observing people’s practices might give you a more accurate understanding of what they are (not) doing when it comes to saving water.

3) Often, saving water is not the responsibility of one household member only. Other household members are doing their share. Therefore, consider whether the survey questions should not be asking about “you and other household members”, instead of just asking about what the respondent alone does.

4) Ensure that the interviewers can probe neutrally to reduce the risk of a situation when the respondents practice specific water-saving measures but forget to mention them.