We examine the impact of flooding in Pakistan on child health using satellite data and two household datasets. Flooding may influence child health, as measured by weight-for-height z-score, through two key channels. First, excessive flood waters can catalyze the spread of diarrheal disease, negatively impacting child health. Second, excessive flood waters — even when damaging in some areas — provide water to rice paddies and other agriculture, increasing food availability in the post-flood period. This may positively influence child health. In Pakistan, we find evidence of both channels: floods increase incidence of morbidity (diarrhea and fever) as well as meal frequency in the post flood season. We also find that floods increase dietary diversity, but only in districts with high rice harvesting intensity where flooding may predict favorable growing conditions. Because these mechanisms (disease incidence and dietary adequacy) act against one another, we find weak overall impact of floods on child health.

我们使用卫星数据和两个家庭数据集研究了巴基斯坦洪水对儿童健康的影响。洪水可能通过两个关键渠道影响儿童的健康，如身高别体重 z 分数所衡量的那样。首先，过多的洪水会促进腹泻病的传播，对儿童健康产生负面影响。其次，过多的洪水——即使在某些地区造成破坏——为稻田和其他农业提供水，增加洪水后时期的粮食供应。这可能会对儿童健康产生积极影响。在巴基斯坦，我们发现了两个渠道的证据：洪水增加了发病率（腹泻和发烧）以及洪水过后的用餐频率。我们还发现洪水增加了饮食多样性，但仅限于水稻收割强度高的地区，洪水可能预示着有利的生长条件。由于这些机制（疾病发病率和饮食充足性）相互对抗，我们发现洪水对儿童健康的总体影响较弱。