The aim of this article is to measure the impact of basic sanitation services on the mortality rate of children under five years of age (U5MR) in the municipalities of the State of Alagoas, Brazil. A multivariate multiple linear regression model was applied for all 102 cities of Alagoas for data years 1991, 2000 and 2010. The research findings are evidence that access to basic sanitation services in the municipalities of the State of Alagoas, especially household sanitary sewage, is associated with a statistically significant reduction of U5MR, p < 0.01 . The estimates show that the 10% increase in access to household sanitary sewage is associated to a reduction of 5.7 deaths per 1000 born alive (BA). Based on a simulation of universal basic access sanitation services in the municipalities of the State of Alagoas, it is observed that only this public policy would be able to reduce child mortality by more than 94%. The end results of this study are important subsidies to guide basic sanitation policies not only in the State of Alagoas, Brazil, but also in developing regions all over the world, considering the evidences of social and environmental impact.
Water and sanitation to reduce child mortality: The impact and cost of water and sanitation infrastructure
