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Safely managed sanitation

Indicator Name % of population using safely managed sanitation services
Indicator ID in PRIME IN00041502

Definition

Definition

This indicator measures the percentage of supported households using safely managed sanitation services.

A household with access to basic sanitation services is a household that uses improved facilities that are not shared with other households, and these are safely managed where excreta are safely disposed of in situ or removed and treated offsite (UNICEF/WHO JMP)

Improved sanitation facilities are those facilities designed to hygienically separate excreta from human contact. Improved sanitation facilities include flush/pour-flush toilet, flush to piped sewer system, flush to septic tank, flush to pit latrine, pit latrine with slab, composting toilet, twin pit latrine with slab, container-based sanitation.

Facilities are limited if improved facilities are shared between two or more households.

Unimproved sanitation facilities include flush/pour flush to open drain, pit latrine without slab/open pit, bucket, hanging toilet/latrine, or no facility/defecation in bush or field. Open defecation refers to the disposal of human faeces in fields, forests, bushes, open bodies of water, beaches, or other open spaces, or with solid waste.

A household is defined as a person or group of persons who usually live and eat together. They are “supported” if they have received direct services from Save the Children or partners who have received SC funding.
Numerator

Number of supported households surveyed with access who state they use basic sanitation services that are safely managed
Denominator

Total number of supported households surveyed

Recommended Means of Verification

Measuring this indicator requires collecting the following survey data by conducting individual interviews and observations among the representatives of a representative sample of target households:
- What kind of toilet facility do members of your household usually use?
- Where does it flush to?
- Do you share this facility with others who are not members of your household?
- Where is this toilet facility located?
- Has your (pit latrine or septic tank) ever been emptied?
- The last time it was emptied, where were the contents emptied to? Was it removed by a service provider?
(A complete list of questions is available via the links provided.)

To estimate the total population using safely managed sanitation services, additional information is required about the share of excreta that is removed from households and treated off-site, either through sewers or tank emptying services. Data on off-site treatment of excreta and wastewater cannot be collected through household surveys but are often available from administrative data sources.

To calculate the indicator's value, divide the number of supported households who state they have access to basic sanitation services that are safely managed over the project-specified time period by the total number of surveyed supported households during the same project-specified time period. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Indicator Attributes

Indicator Prioritisation Global Indicator
Level of Indicator Outcome
Indicator Context Type Quantitative
Theme Health & Nutrition
Sub Theme WASH
Context Development

Measurement Guidance 

Frequency of Data Collection Annually
Unit of Measure Households
Data Format Percent
Direction of Desired Change Increasing
Number of Decimal Points Zero
Nature Cumulative
Recommended Disaggregations Age , Gender

Tools

Kobo

SURV_HN_JMP FOR WASH CORE QUESTIONS_En_2022_01 | KoboToolbox (savethechildren.net)
Kobo Form Questions

Select questions under 'Core questions for sanitation' section are relevant to measure this indicator. 
Other Survey Tool

SURV_HN_JMP FOR WASH CORE QUESTIONS_En_2022_01.xlsx

Core Questions on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Household Surveys (WHO / UNICEF JMP 2018):
https://washdata.org/report/jmp-2018-core-questions-household-surveys

WHO access to basic sanitation services indicator:
https://www.who.int/data/gho/indicator-metadata-registry/imr-details/4821

UNICEF/WHO JMP further information:
https://washdata.org/monitoring/sanitation

This guidance was prepared by Sheetal Rahi Lookhar ©
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