Water Filters Impact on Diarrheal Diseases and Malnutrition on Children Under 5 Years in Flood-Affected Areas Sindh

In Pakistan, about 60% of urban and 40% to 100% of rural water sources are unfit for consumption. Studies have reported high contamination of water samples with total coliforms and E. coli. This results in about 100 million diarrheal cases, and 2.5 million deaths due to endemic diarrheal disease annually. The situation gets worse in disasters which often leave thousands of affected people, especially women and children in need of water and sanitation support. The floods of 2022 have not only exacerbated diarrheal diseases but have raised severe acute malnutrition at alarming levels in the flood-affected areas. UNICEF has reported that more than 1 in 9 children under five admitted to health facilities in Sindh and Baluchistan were found to be severely acutely malnourished. So, innovative approaches for the provision of safe drinking water are required to be tested for their impact on health and cost-effectiveness for the prevention from diarrhea and wasting.