A/HRC/45/10 person per day is enough to ensure human survival, that amount poses a high health risk, as hygiene cannot be assured.33 The minimum amount of water which is considered essential varies across States: in Italy, for instance, people living under the national poverty line are entitled to 50 litres per person per day.34 36. The average amount of water required for human survival needs to be applied in context. For instance, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the level of water considered necessary for domestic use must include water for frequent handwashing, which is the primary means of preventing the spread of the disease. The following questions could provide guidance: (a) What is the minimum essential amount of water and what is the minimum essential level of sanitation needed for a specific person or group in a specific social, economic and environmental condition to avoid intolerable health risks and provide privacy and dignity? (b) they need? 2. How long does it take individuals to collect the minimum amount of water Accessibility 37. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provides guidance on physical access to water facilities or services, in other words on how to ensure that there is a sufficient number of water outlets at a reasonable distance from the household and that personal security is not threatened when having to physically access water. In a progress report, the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene refers to 30 minutes as a standard time for someone to go to and return from a water source. Such a quantitative way of measuring what is a reasonable distance does not, however, take into account the environment of the pathway and the individual travelling that distance. 38. A measurement of the minimum essential level of accessibility should not focus on the distance but on elements that affect physical access and the potential threats and risks associated with such access. For instance, the following questions should be considered: (a) Who is travelling to collect water or to use the toilets and what are their physical and social characteristics? (b) What types of water and sanitation facilities ensure access to all those concerned, including older persons, children and persons with disabilities? (c) What is the surrounding environment like and what are the characteristics of the path between the home to the destination? (d) 3. Are threats or risks prevalent in the area? Affordability 39. Affordability, as a human rights criterion, requires that water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and services be accessible at a price that is affordable to all. An easy way to calculate affordability is to use the ratio of water, sanitation and hygiene expenditure to the total household expenditure or income – the threshold generally set between 2 per cent and 6 per cent.35 Furthermore, affordability thresholds adopted by international agencies differ: for example, the threshold set by UNDP is 3 per cent, that by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is 4 per cent and that by the Asian Development Bank is 5 per cent. These thresholds, which are based on figures, can be arbitrary and do not account for the diversity of households’ composition and needs. Moreover, it does not reflect the costs of non-networked services, which the most vulnerable and disadvantaged rely on. Another way to identify minimum affordability is related to the notion that paying 33 34 35 10 Ibid., general comment No. 15, footnote 14. Submission from Italy. Henri Smets, “Quantifying the affordability standard”, in The Human Right to Water: Theory, Practice and Prospects, Malcolm Langford and Anna Russell, eds. (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2017), pp. 293–294.