Safe Water Storage

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

Collect the following data by using observation 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 households storing drinking water in safe containers by the total number of respondents. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Disaggregate the data by wealth.

1) 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 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). 

2) BHA phrases the indicator slightly differently, as "percent of households targeted by the hygiene promotion program who store their drinking water safely in clean containers".