Intestinal Parasitic Infections, Nutritional Status and Drinking-Water Quality among School children in the Dal Lake Area of Srinagar, Kashmir, India
This cross-sectional study of school children in Srinagar's Dal Lake area reveals a high prevalence (61.9%) of intestinal parasitic infections and significant nutritional deficits, including stunting and obesity, while noting that limited water sampling and a lack of microbiological data prevented a definitive evaluation of waterborne transmission links.
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In many parts of the world, the health of a child is inextricably linked to the quality of the water they drink and the food they eat. When sanitation is poor, microscopic organisms can slip into the body through contaminated water or soil. These intestinal parasites, which include tiny single-celled creatures and larger worm-like organisms, live inside the gut. They can steal nutrients, cause pain, and prevent the body from absorbing the vitamins and minerals needed for growth. Over time, this constant struggle can leave children physically stunted or underweight, yet in some communities, a different problem is emerging: children who are growing too fast, carrying excess weight even while their bodies may be struggling with hidden infections. Understanding how these invisible threats and visible health changes interact is vital for building healthier communities.
Researchers recently turned their attention to the Dal Lake area in Srinagar, a region in Kashmir, India, where the surrounding water and urban environment face significant pressure. They wanted to see what was happening to the schoolchildren there, specifically looking at three things at once: whether the children had intestinal parasites, how their bodies were growing, and what the water at their schools was like. Between September and November 2025, the team visited four government schools in the Habak neighborhood. They collected water samples from the taps at each school once a month to test for basic chemical qualities like temperature, acidity, and mineral content. They also asked 200 children, aged seven to eleven, to provide stool samples and had them stand for height and weight measurements. The goal was not to prove that the water made the children sick, but to paint a clear picture of the environment and the children's health side by side.
The results revealed a heavy burden of infection. Out of the 155 children who provided stool samples, nearly two-thirds, or 61.9 percent, were carrying at least one type of intestinal parasite. The most common invader was a roundworm called Ascaris lumbricoides, found in 28.4 percent of the children. The next most frequent was a microscopic protozoan known as Giardia lamblia, present in 24.5 percent, followed by a whipworm called Trichuris trichiura in 9.0 percent. Interestingly, every child who had an infection carried only one type of parasite; no one had a mix of different worms or bugs at the same time. The infection rates did not follow a simple pattern as children got older; instead, they fluctuated, with the highest rate of 67.7 percent seen in eight-year-olds and the lowest of 51.6 percent in ten-year-olds.
At the same time, the children's physical growth told a complex story of both lack and excess. Among the 200 children measured, one in five was stunted, meaning their height was significantly lower than expected for their age, a sign of long-term nutritional stress. Another 12.5 percent were considered thin. However, the picture was not just one of undernutrition. More than half of the children had a healthy weight for their height, but a striking 32.5 percent were overweight. Within that group, a full 25 percent were classified as obese. This mix of stunted growth and obesity in the same population is a phenomenon known as the double burden of malnutrition, suggesting that while some children are not getting enough to eat, others are consuming more calories than their bodies need, even as they face the same environmental risks.
The water at the schools showed its own variations. The chemical makeup of the water changed from month to month and from school to school. For instance, the water temperature ranged from 14.0 degrees Celsius to 26.0 degrees Celsius, and the acidity levels, or pH, shifted dramatically, sometimes rising above 10.0 in the early autumn months before dropping later. These high pH levels were likely caused by algae in the water systems absorbing carbon dioxide during the day. However, the researchers were careful to note that they only tested the water for these chemical traits. They did not look for bacteria or parasites in the water itself. Because they could not link specific water samples to specific children, and because they did not test the water for germs, they could not say that the school taps were the direct cause of the infections. The water data simply described the physical environment the children were in.
Ultimately, this study provides a crucial snapshot of a community at a specific moment in time. It confirms that intestinal parasites are widespread among schoolchildren in the Dal Lake area and that these children face a dual challenge of undernutrition and obesity. The findings highlight the need for better sanitation, cleaner water, and health education in these schools. While the study cannot prove that the water caused the sickness, it establishes a baseline that health officials can use to improve conditions. The clear message is that protecting children requires looking at the whole picture: the water they drink, the food they eat, and the invisible organisms that may be living inside them.
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