A study by the World Bank concludes that in 2006 India lost 6.4 percent of GDP due mainly to water-borne illness caused by a lack of sanitary facilities.
According to an article appearing on the Bloomberg News website, the consequences of poor sanitation disproportionately affect the country's youngest citizens:
Diarrhea among children younger than 5 years accounts for more than 47 percent of the total health-related economic impacts, the study found. Premature mortality and other health-related impacts of inadequate sanitation were the most costly at $38.5 billion, 72 percent of the total economic burden.
Read the full article at Bloomberg News.