The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) 2017 Update and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Baselines report classified 71% of the global population as having access to ‘safely managed’ drinking water. Current global monitoring efforts to track access to safely managed drinking water rely on collecting information on the ‘primary’ source of drinking water. However, there is evidence that households often rely on multiple sources to meet their water needs in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This systematic review was designed to compile the literature related to the practice of multiple water source use (MWSU) for drinking water in LMICs. A total of 5,318 studies were collected, and after abstract and full-text review, 74 articles were identified for inclusion. Studies reviewed reported from 4 to 100% of the study populations practicing MWSU. Additionally, the practice of supplemental unimproved source use was reported globally, representing households with improved primary source water also accessing unimproved water sources throughout the year. These findings expose gaps in current global water monitoring efforts, revealing potential inflation of reports of ‘safe drinking water access’ and unaccounted exposure to drinking water from unimproved sources.

联合监测计划 (JMP) 2017 年更新和可持续发展目标 (SDG) 基线报告将 71% 的全球人口归类为能够获得“安全管理”的饮用水。当前追踪获得安全管理的饮用水的全球监测工作依赖于收集有关“主要”饮用水源的信息。然而，有证据表明，许多低收入和中等收入国家 (LMIC) 的家庭通常依赖多种来源来满足其用水需求。本系统评价旨在汇编与中低收入国家饮用水多水源使用 (MWSU) 实践相关的文献。共收集了5,318篇研究，经过摘要和全文审查，确定纳入74篇文章。审查的研究报告了 4% 到 100% 的研究人群实践 MWSU。此外，在全球范围内报告了补充性未改善水源使用的做法，代表拥有改善的主要水源的家庭全年也使用未改善的水源。这些发现揭示了当前全球水资源监测工作的差距，揭示了“安全饮用水获取”报告和未说明来源的饮用水暴露的潜在膨胀。