Water pollution in Madurai City: Its Economic Implications on Human Health Care and Medical Expenditure

Abstract

Water pollution is the direct or indirect human intrusion of substances into the water environment such as to harm living resources affecting human health by various cytotoxic and infiltrative disorders and impair water environment quality. Environmental degradation, water pollution and health problems are similar throughout the developing world. Pollution is the most widely discussed external diseconomy. This paper is an attempt to analyse the problem of water pollution in Madurai city and its health hazards thereby the costs involved in treating the diseases caused by pollution. This study is based on primary data collected from 120 sample respondents living in three different wards of Madurai city and a nearby village in Madurai. It shows that people of Madurai are exposed to water-borne diseases and a majority of them (37.5 per cent) spend on an average Rs.1500-2000 per month on the medical treatment for the diseases.