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. 2017 Feb 9;12(2):e0171783. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171783

Table 1. Definitions of improved and unimproved facilities.

All criteria for multiple questions or observations must be met in order for facilities to be defined as improved [39]

MDG Criteria
    1. Water
Question Improved Unimproved
What is the main source of drinking water for members of your household? • Piped into dwelling
• Piped to yard/plot
• Public tap/standpipe
• Tube well/borehole
• Protected dug well
• Protected spring
• Rainwater
• Piped to neighbour
• Bottled water (if improved water used for other purposes cooking / handwashing)
• Unprotected well
• Unprotected spring
• Tanker truck
• Cart with small tank
• Surface water (river / dam / lake / pond / stream / canal / irrigation channel)
• Bottled water (if improved water not used for other purposes cooking / handwashing)
• Sachet water
• Other
What is the main source of water your household uses for other purposes such as cooking and cleaning?(Only relevant if bottled water is the main source of drinking water) • Piped into dwelling
• Piped into yard/plot
• Public tap/standpipe
• Tube well/borehole
• Protected well
• Protected spring
• Rainwater
• Unprotected well
• Unprotected spring
• Surface water
• Tanker truck
• Cart with small tank
• Other
    2. Sanitation
Questions Improved Unimproved
What kind of toilet facility do members of your household usually use? • Flush or pour flush toilet flush to piped sewer system
• Flush to septic tank
• Flush to pit latrine
• Ventilated improved pit latrine
• Pit latrine with slab
• Composting toilet
• Flush, don’t know where
• Flush to somewhere else
• Pit latrine without slab / open pit
• Bucket toilet
• Hanging toilet / hanging latrine
• No facility / bush / field
• Mobile toilet
• Other
Do you share this facility with others who are not members of your household? • Facility not shared with other households • Facility shared with other households
    3. Combined MDG = (1) + (2)
SDG Criteria
    4. Water
Question Improved Unimproved
How long does it take you to go, collect water and come back? • On premises or 0–30 minutes • >30 minutes
    5. Handwashing
Observations Improved Unimproved
Please show me where members of your household most often wash their hands. • Handwashing facility observed • Handwashing facility not observed (not in dwelling / yard / plot, no permission to see or other reason)
Observation only: observe presence of water at the place for hand washing. • Water is available • Water is not available
Observation only: observe presence of soap, detergent, or other cleansing agent at the specific place for hand washing • Soap or detergent (bar, liquid, powder, paste) is present • No soap or detergent
    6. Combined basic SDG = (3) + (4) + (5)