Each year Aga Khan University organises a National Health Sciences Research Symposium focusing on a theme relevant to the need of the country, to the professional and academic interests of physicians, nurses and allied health professionals, as well as to basic and social science researchers, investigators and students.

The theme for AKU 13th National Health Sciences Research Symposium to be held on October 27 - 28, 2009 has been identified as Impact of Water and Sanitation on Health: Our Problems and Our Solutions.

In recent years, 1.1 billion people lacked access to improved water sources, which represents 17 per cent of the global population. About 1.8 million people die every year from diarrheal diseases including common diseases such as typhoid, cholera, hepatitis A etc. of which 90 per cent are children under five years of age, mostly in developing countries.

Pakistan has been unable to meet the water demand of the rapidly growing population resulting in low availability and poor quality of drinking water. Poor quality of water due to microbial contamination is accentuated by heavy metal contamination and other industrial effluents discharged into water bodies without any treatment. In Pakistan less than 60 per cent of the total population has access to safe water and 30 per cent has access to sanitation

The symposium will guide a way for the development of a comprehensive programme of action for prevention of water pollution.