Construction material of roof

99 HOUSING AND HOUSEHOLD AMENITIES Drinking water The NRVA 2011-12 inventory of community preferences for development among male and female Shuras emphasized the importance of water supply, as they assigned it top priority see section 11.4. The household survey recorded that access to improved drinking water sources 2 is available to 46 percent of the population of Afghanistan. Compared to the results of the NRVA 2007-08 round this indicates a sharp increase of the share of the population with safe drinking water from 27 to 46 percent. The situation especially improved in rural areas, where the share of the population using improved sources almost doubled between 2007-08 and 2011-12 from 20 to 39 percent. If this rate of improvement is continued, the ANDS target of 61.5 percent in 2020 will easily be achieved. Large differences are observed in the share with access between the urban population on the one hand 71 percent and the rural and Kuchi populations on the other 39 and 21 percent, respectively Table 10.4. Similar differences exist between the provinces, with access ranging from 7 and 9 percent in Urozgan and Zabul to 67 and 78 percent in Balkh and Kabul Figure 10.2. Close to half the population 49 percent – equivalent to 14.7 million people – relies on surface water for their main source of water and 28 percent on hand pumps an improved drinking water source. The reliance on piped water improved source is 9 percent overall, but with 26 percent it the most important source in urban areas data not shown. Table 10.4: Percentage of households with access to improved sources of drinking water a , by residence; Time to reach drinking water source all water sources, by residence Indicator Residence National Urban Rural Kuchi Percentage of population with access to improved drinking water source 70.9 39.4 21.0 45.5 Time to reach drinking water source one way, in minutes Mean time 1 7 18 6 Median time 3 10 1 a Improved sources of drinking water include: hand pump private or public, bored wells, protected spring, piped water private or municipal; un-improved sources include: surface water open well, unprotected spring, kariz, river, lake, channel, pool, drainage, water tanker, bottled water. The time to reach the main source of drinking water varies signiicantly by residence, and especially for rural households. Overall, Afghan household members – usually women and children – have to walk on average six minutes to reach the nearest water point and another six minutes to walk back. This average time hides a substantial variation, as 50 percent of the households need only one minute or less and some 11 percent requires half an hour or more for a return trip data not shown. For urban households, the mean time to reach the water point is only one minute and close to 80 percent has water in or next to the dwelling. The corresponding share of rural households without travel time is half of this 39 percent and for Kuchi only 15 percent. 2 Improved sources of drinking water in NRVA include: hand pump private or public, bored wells, protected spring, piped water private or municipal; un- improved sources include: surface water open well, unprotected spring, kariz, river, lake, channel, pool, drainage, water tanker, bottled water. MDG Indicator 7.8 Proportion of the population using improved drinking water sources

45.5 percent