ABSTRACT
The study examines the health costs associated with drinking arsenic-polluted groundwater based on primary survey from the Sindh province of Pakistan. The paper applies the ordinary least square technique to a primary data of one fifty (n=150) households. To check the arsenic concentration of groundwater, samples were carefully examined from the laboratory and the report revealed that 90% of groundwater samples were above the safe limit 10ug/l. Furthermore, most people were unaware about its harmful impact on health due to arsenic poisoning. Steady and long-term use of arsenic-contaminated groundwater has led to various health problems among residents, including Skin diseases, liver, kidney and lung failure, gastrointestinal problems and chest illnesses (Asthma and Tuberculosis). Many households do not take treatment due to financial limitations, further worsening health among community members. In addition to this, high arsenic concentration in drinking water has resulted in numerous deaths and most of these individuals were only earning people of their families. The study found that visits to doctors, quality of water and the interaction between sources of water and arsenic concentration significantly impact on total health cost, this ultimately exposed that drinking groundwater polluted with arsenic from long years raises the indirect and direct health cost of the residents in the study area.
AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS
Department of Agricultural Economics, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Sindh, Pakistan
CITATION
Sattar A (2025) Determinants of Health Cost Associated with Arsenic Contaminated Groundwater: A Case Study of Sindh, Pakistan. Environmental Science Archives 4(2): 889-897.
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