Background: Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) is a simple,
inexpensive and sustainable means of daily household treatment
for drinking and storage of water. Globally, over a billion people
lack access to safe drinking water. As many as half million under five
children die annually due to diarrheal illnesses. Most of these deaths
are concentrated in Africa and South Asia. Unsafe water is one of the
most critical risk factors for diarrhoea. Systematic reviews indicate
that interventions to improve the microbial quality of drinking water
in households are effective at reducing diarrhoea illnesses and thereby
contribute significantly in reducing deaths due to communicable
diseases in children under 5 years. We evaluated the impact of the
SODIS intervention on health outcomes and diarrheal episodes in two
districts of Punjab province in Pakistan.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken to assess the
impact of solar water disinfection (SODIS) program in two districts
of Punjab province, Pakistan. The program was implemented by the
Ministry of Health from April 2010- May 2011 in Faisalabad district.
We selected Toba Tek Singh as a comparison district for the survey.
Results: Analysis with regression models revealed that children
had a lower risk of contracting diarrhoea when they consumed
high percentages of safe drinks (SODIS), lived in households with
good hygiene, washed hands, and belonged to the richest quintile.
Diarrhoea prevalence was 10.1 episodes per child per year in the
non-intervention area compared to 5.6 episodes per child per year (<
0.0001) in the intervention area. Similarly the proportion of children
with dysentery reported in the intervention was half compared to
non-intervention area (6.1% vs. 13.9%). SODIS method for purifying
drinking water is acceptable and effective in the developing countries.
It should be a part of preventive strategies at health system level to
control diarrheal illnesses and reduce under five mortality.