You are currently viewing (Not So) Gently Down The Stream: River Pollution and Health in Indonesia

(Not So) Gently Down The Stream: River Pollution and Health in Indonesia

Waterborne diseases are the leading cause of mortality in developing countries. This paper emphasizes a previously ignored cause of diarrhea – upstream river bathing. Using newly constructed data on upstream-downstream hydrological linkages along with village census panel data in Indonesia, the paper finds that upstream river bathing can explain as many as 7.5% of all diarrheal deaths