Water and Sanitation to Reduce Child Mortality : The Impact and Cost of Water and Sanitation Infrastructure

Using household survey data, this paper estimates the mortality impact of improved water and sanitation access in order to evaluate the potential contribution of water and sanitation investment toward achieving the child mortality targets defined i...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Gunther, Isabel, Fink, Gunther
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English
Published:	2012
Subjects:	ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER ACCESS TO SANITATION ACCESS TO WATER ADEQUATE WATER BASIC SANITATION BUCKET LATRINES BULLETIN CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT CHANCES OF SURVIVAL CHILD BIRTH CHILD DEATH CHILD HEALTH CHILD MORTALITY CHILD MORTALITY RATE CHILD MORTALITY RATES CHILDBEARING CLEAN WATER COMPOSTING CONNECTION CONNECTIONS COST OF WATER DEATHS OF CHILDREN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES DEVELOPMENT POLICY DIARRHEAL DISEASE DISABILITY DISEASES DISTRIBUTION OF WATER DRAINAGE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ELECTRICITY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH EXCRETA FINANCIAL COMMITMENT FLUSH TOILET FLUSH TOILETS GLOBAL HEALTH GLOBAL WATER SUPPLY GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT HAND PUMP HEALTH IMPACT HIV HOUSEHOLD ASSETS HOUSEHOLD LEVEL HOUSEHOLD SIZE HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS HYGIENE ILLNESS INFANT INFANT MORTALITY INFECTIOUS DISEASES INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT INITIAL INVESTMENT INVESTMENT COST INVESTMENT COSTS INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY LATRINE PIT LEVELS OF FERTILITY LIFE EXPECTANCY LIVE BIRTHS LIVING STANDARDS LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE LOCAL WATER MAINTENANCE COSTS MALARIA MARITAL STATUS MEASLES MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS MORTALITY DECLINE MORTALITY LEVELS MORTALITY RATE MORTALITY REDUCTION MORTALITY REDUCTIONS MORTALITY RISK MORTALITY TARGET MOTHER NUMBER OF CHILDREN NUMBER OF DEATHS NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS NUTRITION OPEN DEFECATION OPERATIONAL COSTS PERSONAL HEALTH PIT LATRINE PIT LATRINES PITS POLICY DISCUSSIONS POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POND POPULATION SIZE POPULATION STUDIES POPULATION WITHOUT ACCESS POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION PREMATURE DEATH PRIMARY EDUCATION PROGRESS PROVISION OF WATER PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS PUBLIC STANDPIPES PUBLIC TAP PUBLIC TOILET PUBLIC WATER PUMPS QUALITY OF WATER QUALITY WATER RADIO RAINWATER RESPECT RISK FACTORS RIVERS RURAL RESIDENCE SAFE DRINKING WATER SANITATION SANITATION ACCESS SANITATION ASSESSMENT SANITATION COVERAGE SANITATION FACILITIES SANITATION INFRASTRUCTURE SANITATION INVESTMENT SANITATION OBJECTIVES SANITATION PRACTICES SANITATION TECHNOLOGY SECONDARY EDUCATION SEPTIC TANK SEWAGE SEWAGE SYSTEM SEWER SYSTEM SEWERS SEX SPILLOVER SPRINGS SURFACE WATER TERTIARY EDUCATION TOILET FACILITY TV UNITED NATIONS POPULATION DIVISION URBANIZATION WASTE WATER CONNECTIONS WATER CONTAMINATION WATER COVERAGE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE WATER PIPES WATER QUALITY WATER SANITATION WATER SOURCE WATER SOURCES WATER SUPPLY WATER SYSTEM WELLS WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION WORLD POPULATION YOUNG AGE YOUNG CHILD
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110330154747 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3385

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Summary:	Using household survey data, this paper estimates the mortality impact of improved water and sanitation access in order to evaluate the potential contribution of water and sanitation investment toward achieving the child mortality targets defined in Millennium Development Goal 4. The authors find that the average mortality reduction achievable by investment in water and sanitation infrastructure is 25 deaths per 1,000 children born across countries, a difference that accounts for about 40 percent of the gap between current child mortality rates and the 2015 target set in the Millennium Development Goals. According to the estimates, full household coverage with water and sanitation infrastructure could lead to a total reduction of 2.2 million child deaths per year in the developing world. Combining this analysis with cost data for water and sanitation infrastructure, the authors estimate that the average cost per life-year saved ranges between 65 and 80 percent of developing countries' annual gross domestic product per capita. The results suggest that investment in water and sanitation is a highly cost-effective policy option, even when only the mortality benefits are taken into consideration. Taking into account the additional expected benefits, such as reduced morbidity, time spending, and environmental hazards, would further increase the benefit-cost ratio.

Water and Sanitation to Reduce Child Mortality : The Impact and Cost of Water and Sanitation Infrastructure

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