The Weak and Stunted Future of India

Ishaal Zehra

India, the world’s second most populous nation, and a country with a serious sanitation crisis has now also been named the country where the highest number of children in the world are affected by stunting due to lack of toilets, clean drinking water and poor hygiene. Stunting is a form of malnutrition in which children are shorter than normal for their age and is largely irreversible after the age of two. If they survive, they grow up physically and intellectually weaker than their better-fed peers.

The new report out this week from the international nonprofit, WaterAid, reveals that 48 million children in India, or two out of every five kids under the age of five, are suffering from stunted growth. The report, ’Caught Short’, underscores how this affects their physical, cognitive and emotional development, and is linked to the lack of clean water and toilets.

India has more stunted children than Nigeria, Pakistan, China and the Republic of Congo combined, with 48 million under the age of five -- about 30 percent of the global total, WaterAid report said.

Data collated by the NGO showed that 1,40,000 children die every year from diarrhea in India, while 76 million do not have access to safe water and 774 million live without adequate sanitation.

"India has the highest number of people in the world... practicing open defecation, which spreads deadly diseases and makes children more susceptible to diarrhea and other infections," said Megan Wilson-Jones, WaterAid health and hygiene analyst. "So it is no surprise that so many children in India suffer from stunted growth," she added.

The report highlights that malnutrition is not just caused by a lack of food: a lack of access to a safe toilet, clean water and good hygiene practices also plays a major role. Repeated bouts of diarrhea - often caused by dirty water and unhygienic environments - are directly linked to malnutrition.

"Currently, more than 650 million people in the world do not have access to clean water and more than 2.3 billion do not have access to an adequate toilet. Diarrheal diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation are the second biggest killer of children under five after pneumonia, taking 315,000 young lives every year. Even those children who survive severe bouts of diarrhea are at risk of having their lives, and life chances, forever changed," the report said.

Globally 159 million children under the age of 5 are stunted - one in four children of this age, it said.

Impoverished Bangladesh fared better than its bigger, wealthier neighbour India, recording 5.5 million cases in its 160 million-strong population. The country has almost eliminated open defecation in just over a decade through a concerted campaign to build toilets.

East Timor was the country where stunting was most prevalent while Germany had the lowest rate at 1.3 percent.

Around 50 per cent of malnutrition cases are linked to infections, including chronic diarrhea, caused by lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) including handwashing with soap, the report said.

It said that in the developing world, a lack of clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a major contributor to malnutrition and one impact of this is stunting, where severe and prolonged under-nutrition makes children shorter than normal for their age and affects their emotional, social and cognitive development.

In the developing world, a lack of clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a major contributor to malnutrition. One impact of this is stunting, where severe and prolonged under-nutrition makes children shorter than normal for their age, and affects their emotional, social and cognitive development. Currently, more than 650 million people in the world do not have access to clean water and more than 2.3 billion do not have access to an adequate toilet.

Diarrheal diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation are the second biggest killer of children under five after pneumonia, taking 315,000 young lives every year. Even those children who survive severe bouts of diarrhea are at risk of having their lives, and life chances, forever changed.

"India has made progress on reducing child stunting, from 48 per cent of all children in 2006 to 39 per cent in 2014. However, alongside the high numbers of people without access to adequate toilets, India also has the highest concentration in the world of people practicing open defecation.

WaterAid India's Policy Manager Arundati Muralidharan, said that water, sanitation and hygiene are important determinants of nutrition. "With open defecation rampant in India, frequent diarrhea hinders the ability of children to absorb nutrients. India has made significant efforts to improve the nutritional status of children and women, but the beneficial impact of these efforts is threatened by poor WASH.”

India is home to the world's largest number of stunted children due to a lack of toilets, dirty water and poor hygiene. The self proclaimed shinning India has more stunted children than Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Congo combined -- about 30 percent of the global total... it is alarming... having said that Pakistan also needs to be more conscious about sanitation and risks in her land too. Though with quite lesser in number than India which tops the list of ten countries with the greatest number of stunted children having the number around 48 Million, Pakistan is at number 3 of the list with the number of stunted children exceeding the figure of 9 Million.