Karachi: A simple, non-electric household water filter is significantly reducing both disease burden and child malnutrition in rural Sindh by tackling unsafe drinking water, repeated diarrhoeal infections and poor nutrient absorption, according to a new study by the Aga Khan University.
The study shows that regular use of the low cost filter in flood affected communities of Jamshoro not only led to marked improvements in the nutritional status of children under five but also sharply reduced diarrhoeal illness, a major cause of childhood sickness and death in Pakistan.
The findings were shared at a dissemination seminar titled Water as Nutrition: How Clean Water Breaks the Malnutrition Cycle in Sindh.
Researchers said the intervention highlights how access to safe drinking water can directly lower disease burden in young children, particularly in settings where waterborne infections repeatedly weaken immunity and undermine growth.
Pakistan continues to struggle with high rates of diarrhoea, stunting and underweight children, especially in rural and climate vulnerable areas.
The household filter, costing around 5 to 8 dollars per family per year, requires no electricity, fuel or daily chemical treatment. Designed for low resource settings, it works passively and is easy to use, making it suitable for households without piped water or reliable energy access.
The study was conducted in Jhangara village of Jamshoro district and reported more than 98 percent adherence, with almost all participating families consistently using filtered water for drinking. Researchers said such high compliance is rare in water and sanitation programmes and played a crucial role in reducing infections.
Over an eight month period, the study documented a 20 percent reduction in underweight children, a 12 percent decline in wasting and a 7 percent reduction in stunting. At the same time, episodes of diarrhoeal disease fell substantially, easing the overall disease burden on children and households.
Professor Zafar Fatmi, Head of Environmental Occupational Health and Climate Change at AKU’s Department of Community Health Sciences and principal investigator of the study, said the findings demonstrate how clean water can function as a frontline health intervention.
“This is one of the few household water interventions where adherence has been almost universal, and that is why we are seeing reductions in both illness and malnutrition,” he said. “When diarrhoea is prevented, children fall sick less often and are able to absorb food properly. Safe water here is acting like a health and nutrition intervention combined.”
Health experts say repeated diarrhoeal infections are a major contributor to Pakistan’s child disease burden, leading to missed school days, frequent clinic visits and long term growth deficits. By reducing exposure to contaminated water, the filter helped break this cycle.
Dr Hira Tariq, Assistant Professor at AKU and co principal investigator, said the success of the intervention lies in its simplicity.
“In rural areas without piped supplies, asking families to treat water with chlorine every day is not practical,” she said. “This filter does not rely on daily behaviour change and communities have fully accepted it, which is why we are seeing sustained health benefits.”
Researchers said the findings are particularly relevant for Sindh, where recurrent flooding has damaged water sources and increased the risk of waterborne diseases among children.
A panel discussion involving representatives from WaterAid, the Pakistan Council for Water Resources and government health agencies, focused on how the intervention could be integrated into child health, nutrition and disease prevention programmes.
Prof. Asad Ali, Chair of the Department of Community Health Sciences at AKU, said scaling up such low cost water solutions could have a major impact on public health.
“If expanded nationally, this intervention could significantly reduce diarrhoeal disease, lower child morbidity and mortality and improve nutritional outcomes across rural Pakistan,” he said, adding that clean drinking water must be treated as a core component of disease control and child health policy.
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