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Water Expansions in Shantytowns: Health and Savings
Author(s) -
GALIANI SEBASTIAN,
GONZALEZROZADA MARTIN,
SCHARGRODSKY ERNESTO
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
economica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.532
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1468-0335
pISSN - 0013-0427
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0335.2008.00719.x
Subject(s) - water quality , control (management) , business , economics , demographic economics , water resource management , natural resource economics , geography , environmental science , ecology , management , biology
This paper examines the effects of the expansion of the water network in urban shantytowns in Argentina. We find large reductions in the presence, frequency and severity of diarrhoea episodes among children reached by network expansions relative to a control group. Moreover, expanded connections induce savings in water expenditures, as these families are able to substitute piped water for more expensive and distant sources of water provision. These health and savings effects are also important for households that previously had clandestine self‐connections to the water network, which were free but of low quality.