Diarrhoea kills over 1.25 million children annually

By Amar Guriro 

KARACHI: Housewife Salma, first wife of primary school teacher Wahid Bux, always thought a baby could bring her closer to her husband. Her husband married a second time three years ago, as she was unable to deliver a baby during the five years of their married life.

So when she delivered her first baby boy, she had some hopes of winning back her husband. However, when the baby was only nine months old, he suffered diarrhoea and was taken to National Institute of Child Health (NICH). Unfortunately, Salma’s hope could not survive for long and the baby passed away due to continued diarrhoea.

Healthcare experts estimate that 10 percent of Pakistan’s total children die before their fifth birthday. According to Dr Zulfiqar Bhutta, Founding Chair of the Division of Women and Child Health at Aga Khan University, diarrhoea kills more than 1.25 million children a year.

On Friday, nations around world were observing ‘World Water Day’ and highlighting the importance of freshwater, causes of contaminated water, its impacts on communities, human life and also the water related tussles between nations. 

In Pakistan, children under the age of five are the worse victims of contaminated water borne diseases. World Health Organization (WHO)’s official data reveals that diarrhoea kills far more children every year, than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.

Water contamination and general unhygienic conditions are major causes of diarrhoea among children. “Diarrhoea is the worst killer for children and if we arrange safe drinking water and decent toilets, we can save 2,000 children’s lives every single day,” said WaterAid-Pakistan’s head, Abdul Hafeez. 

Another major problem in the metropolitan city is contamination of drinking water. Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), the only state-run water supply agency for the city, takes water from Keenjhar Lake, which is highly polluted with industrial effluents from Kotri Industrial Zone. The board’s outdated pipeline further increases the level of pollutants in the water supply.

Moreover, at least 42 percent of the total city population, living in slum settlements, do not have access to designated water lines, as they are not connected to the main KWSB infrastructure. 

The authorities thought that the residents of these areas would claim land ownership on the basis of monthly water supply bills if they were connected to the main water-utility lines. Therefore, these residents either get drinking water from water tanks, which provide unclean water on low rate or they consume ground water, which is already contaminated. 

“Around 30 to 35 percent of our total patients, who arrive at the hospital every day, are suffering from diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and other water borne diseases. A majority of them are minor children and women who belong to poor areas,” said Saeed Qureshi, Medical Superintendent, Civil Hospital Karach