EXAMINING THE ROLE OF WATER AND SANITATION AUTHORITY’S CLEAN DRINKING WATER PROJECT IN DISEASES ALLEVIATION: A STUDY FROM LAHORE

Abstract

In Pakistan many factors such as industrialization, urbanization, sewerage problem, and challenging demands of water for energy and food production are resulting in contamination of drinking water. Consumption of this contaminated water has adverse effect on health and socioeconomic status such as income, working days and work performance of people in Pakistan. In largest cities of Pakistan water and sanitation authorities (WASA) have taken initiatives to provide clean water to public by installing filtration plants at different locations. This study compares the morbidity levels and their consequent effects on the socioeconomic factors such as income, health expenditures and work performance of the target household in different areas of Lahore using with (treatment Group) and without filtration plants (control group) approach. For this purpose primary data from 300 households was collected from various locations of Lahore using multistage sampling method. Differences in treatment and control group were analyzed using descriptive frequency distribution, averages and percentages of the target variables while extent of relationship between water borne diseases and income losses, expenditure on health and loss of working days was quantified through regression model using dummy variable technique. Ten major waterborne diseases identified in study area including diarrhea, stomach infection, vomiting, abdominal pain, typhoid, lungs infection, kidney infection, skin infection, tuberculosis and hepatitis. Moreover, Results make it clear that households not using plant water are at more risk of waterborne illness as compared to household using plant water. Thus, in areas lacking WASA filtration plants, due to waterborne diseases more children remains absent from their schools, more people got absent from work, bear more absenteeism cost and waterborne expenditures. Moreover, mostly infants and children becomes victim of waterborne diseases.