Definition & calculation
Numerator: Number of sampled water points or household stored-water samples meeting agreed microbiological and/or residual chlorine standards
Denominator: Total number of water points or household samples tested
Test a representative sample of sources and/or point-of-use household water and calculate the proportion meeting the agreed E. coli and free residual chlorine thresholds.
Formula: (Numerator ÷ Denominator) × 100
Means of verification
Water quality tests (microbiological and free residual chlorine), sanitary inspections
Interpretation
Direction: Higher is better
Typical reporting frequency: Baseline, midline and endline (or annual)
Guidance & common pitfalls
Point-of-use contamination is common even when the source is safe; sample both source and household storage and pair results with sanitary inspection.
This library is a curated reference to adapt, aligned generically with recognised humanitarian frameworks (Sphere, cluster registries, IASC, CHS and others). It is not an official indicator registry — always use the exact indicator definitions your donor or cluster requires.
Related indicators
- Incidence of diarrhoeal disease among children under five in the target area
- % of households with access to and use of sufficient soap and essential hygiene items
- % of target community members who can identify at least one functioning channel to give feedback or raise a complaint about WASH services
- % of target population observed or reporting handwashing with soap at critical times