Water for people.pdf - WHO Thailand Digital Repository

B A S I C N E E D S A N D T H E R I G H T T O H E A LT H / 1 1 3■ Household survey data have been used extensively to estimatecoverage figures. Assessment questionnaires were sent to allWHO representations in member states, and local WHO andUNICEF staff worked jointly with relevant national agencies tocomplete the questionnaires, following detailed instructions. Afirst step in this task was the preparation of an inventory ofexisting population-based datasets on access to water supplyand sanitation, which could include national census reports,Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF’s MultipleIndicator Cluster Surveys (MICS).■ The JMP report presents a more comprehensive package ofinformation beyond strict coverage. This includes general planningand management, with a focus on target setting, investmentpatterns and trends, financial aspects, including urban waterservices’ tariffs and costs, quality of services and constraints.Table 5.4: Improved versus non-improved water supply and sanitationImprovedNon-improvedWater supply Household connection Unprotected wellPublic standpipeUnprotected springBoreholeVendor-provided waterProtected dug well Bottled water 1Protected spring water Tanker-truck providedRainwater collectionSanitation Connection to a public sewer Service or bucket latrines 2Connection to a septic system Public latrinesPour-flush latrineLatrines with an open pitSimple pit latrineVentilated improved pit latrine1 Considered as ‘non-improved’ because of quantity rather than quality of supplied water.2 Latrines from where excreta are manually removed.Source: WHO, 2002. Prepared for the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP).Any assessment will need to apply clearly defined criteria in order toachieve consistency and comparability over time and betweenlocations. The definitions below applied to the criteria used in the2000 Assessment.■ ‘Access to water supply and sanitation’ was defined in terms oftypes of technology and service afforded. For water supply,access included house connections, public standpipes, boreholeswith hand pumps, protected dug wells, protected springs andrainwater collections. Allowance was made for other, locallydefined technologies.■ ‘Reasonable access’ was defined as the availability of at least20 litres per person per day from a source within 1 kilometre ofthe user’s dwelling. Tanker trucks, bottled water and othersource types not giving reasonable access to water for domestichygiene purposes were not included.■ ‘Sanitation’ was defined to include connection to a sewer orseptic tank system, pour-flush latrine, simple pit or ventilatedimproved pit latrine, again with allowance for acceptable localtechnologies. The excreta disposal system was consideredadequate if it was private or shared (but not public) and if ithygienically separated human excreta from human contact.By introducing the concept of ‘improved’ technologies, an attempt ismade to establish a simple classification reflecting a high likelihoodthat water supply and safe sanitation are adequate. Ongoing studiesaim to strengthen the evidence base for the designation criteria. Thedesignation ‘improved’ versus ‘non-improved’ was applied to watersupply and sanitation technologies as shown in table 5.4.A number of caveats need attention when considering the JMPassessment results. Access to improved water and sanitation does notimply that the level of service or quality is ‘safe’ or ‘adequate’,terminology previously used. It merely indicates the likelihood that itis safe or adequate. Coverage figures have not been discounted forintermittence or poor quality of the water supplies. Instructionsstated, however, that piped systems should not be considered asfunctioning unless they were operating at over 50 percent of capacityon a daily basis; hand pumps should not be considered as functioningunless they were operating at least 70 percent of the time, with a lagbetween breakdown and repair not exceeding two weeks. Theseaspects were taken into consideration only when estimating coveragefor countries where national surveys had not been conducted. In mostcases, however, national survey data were available.Monitoring the state of water supply, sanitation and hygienebehaviour remains critical to ensure progress and an acceleratedcoverage, together with greater and more active householdparticipation. Several new developments in the concepts of monitoringhave been noted (Shordt, 2000) and the four most important are:■ More groups and stakeholders have been brought into theprocess of data collection, analysis, interpretation and use;■ There is an increased emphasis on monitoring behavioural change;■ With the development of participatory appraisal and qualitativeresearch techniques, a wider range of strategies andmeasurement tools to support the strategies, has emerged;■ There is increased emphasis on the timely use of monitoring andevaluation results.