Conclusions. The high water abundance found for the majority of the sources suggests that either the "normal" chemical processes are very effective in producing H2O, or else non-local thermal equilibrium atmospheric chemistry, grain surface reactions, or a release of H2O (e. g. from icy bodies like Kuiper belt objects) play a role. However, more detailed information on the physical structure and the velocity field of the region where the water vapour lines are formed is required to improve abundance estimates. We provide predictions for ortho-H2O lines in the spectral window of Herschel/HIFI. These spectrally resolved lines cover a wide range of excitation conditions and will provide valuable additional information on the physical and chemical properties of the inner stellar wind where H2O is abundant.