The Role of Water Sources and Water Treatment on Child Health in Nepal
Description
Studies have shown that access to safe drinking water helps to reduce diarrheal diseases. There is an abundance of literature that considers piped water as a proxy for safe drinking water. However, literature does not provide a definitive answer about the health benefits of piped water. Thus, it is important to understand relative quality and health impacts of piped water, particularly in places where alternative improved sources are available. Using primary data from Siddharthanagar, Nepal, this study analyses the effect of piped water and water treatment on child diarrhea. Considering both binary and count data on child-diarrhea, this study employs the logit and the negative binomial models for empirical analysis. Results show that piped water is associated with higher child diarrhea. This analysis also finds that treatment of water before drinking significantly reduces the incidents of diarrhea. Thus, the study suggests that the water authority must work on improving quality of piped water supplied to community and encourage people to purify water before drinking.
The Role of Water Sources and Water Treatment on Child Health in Nepal
Studies have shown that access to safe drinking water helps to reduce diarrheal diseases. There is an abundance of literature that considers piped water as a proxy for safe drinking water. However, literature does not provide a definitive answer about the health benefits of piped water. Thus, it is important to understand relative quality and health impacts of piped water, particularly in places where alternative improved sources are available. Using primary data from Siddharthanagar, Nepal, this study analyses the effect of piped water and water treatment on child diarrhea. Considering both binary and count data on child-diarrhea, this study employs the logit and the negative binomial models for empirical analysis. Results show that piped water is associated with higher child diarrhea. This analysis also finds that treatment of water before drinking significantly reduces the incidents of diarrhea. Thus, the study suggests that the water authority must work on improving quality of piped water supplied to community and encourage people to purify water before drinking.