Water and health for sustainable development

One of the main factors behind infant and child mortality globally is diarrheal death along with other water related diseases. The problem is more acute in the less developed nations, and India is a nation with one of the highest incidence of such deaths despite its high economic growth. The present study with the help of econometric models has therefore examined the impact of safe drinking water on infant and child mortality. The findings reveal that safe drinking water can favourably impact infant and child mortality only when the mother is educated, which is actually the single most important determinant factor of infant and child mortality. Poverty level of the families and per capita health expenditure also influences to a certain extent the effectiveness of the use of safe drinking water and its impact on health. The study concludes with the important role which the use of safe drinking water can have on long term economic development of a nation, which is extremely crucial for all newly developed emerging nations including India. Investment in water therefore should be considered as new paradigm for development models.