When Water Becomes a Hazard : A Diagnostic Report on The State of Water Supply, Sanitation, and Poverty in Pakistan and Its Impact on Child Stunting
Despite a substantial decline in poverty, an increase in access to water and sanitation and a large decline in open defecation, diarrhea and stunting rates in Pakistan show few signs of a decline. This report provides evidence that the policy focus...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/649341541535842288/When-Water-Becomes-a-Hazard-A-Diagnostic-Report-on-The-State-of-Water-Supply-Sanitation-and-Poverty-in-Pakistan-and-Its-Impact-on-Child-Stunting http://hdl.handle.net/10986/30799 |
| Summary: | Despite a substantial decline in
poverty, an increase in access to water and sanitation and a
large decline in open defecation, diarrhea and stunting
rates in Pakistan show few signs of a decline. This report
provides evidence that the policy focus on eliminating open
defecation rather than the safe management of fecal waste
has been largely responsible for this. Water tests reveal
shockingly high rates of E. coli contamination in both
surface and ground water. To make matters worse, few
households practice water treatment and untreated waste
water is routinely mixed with surface and ground water for
use in crop irrigation. This multiplies the channels through
which the oral transmission of fecal bacteria can occur and
creates strong downstream effects through food supplies
headed to urban centers. Unsurprisingly, rates of diarrhea
have remained stubbornly high even among the wealthiest
households in metropolitan cities like Karachi. While the
impact of of E. coli on diarrhea is well known, new research
is showing the far more damaging impact of environmental
enteropathy, a process by which fecal pathogens like E. coli
can permanently damage the intestinal villi of young
children making it difficult to absorb nutrients, even
during periods when the child shows no signs of diarrhea.
The report urges urgent action on safe sanitation and the
treatment of water to combat this health crisis. |
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