In the land of Makkhipuri, no one seemed to be bothered by the constant buzz as the fly was the god. So, the people never covered their food, and Makkhilal, the king of flies, devoured everything from sabzi to sweets. They prayed to Makkhilal for their health, and yet no one knew why the children kept falling sick. The story, narrated in a new book called The Tale of Makkhilal (Katha), isn't entirely fictional. Diarrhoea — a disease that's easily preventable through basic sanitation, hygiene and clean drinking water — accounted for approximately eight per cent of all deaths among those under the age of five in 2017 worldwide, states a UNICEF report.