Life in slums

BY
Agentha.v
OBJECTIVE:
• TO explore the living condition of people in the slums and their
daily struggle like clean drinking water, sanitation, clean
surrounding for healthy living.
• To prevent spread of epidemic in the town.
• To bring down social disparity amoung the various classes of
people.
• To improve the aesthetic of a town .

Introducation

What are slums :

The word “slum” is often used to describe informal settlements within
cities that have inadequate housing and squalid, miserable living
conditions. They are often overcrowded, with many people crammed
into very small living spaces.

These settlements lack basic municipal services such as water, sanitation,

waste collection, storm drainage, street lighting, paved sidewalks and
roads for emergency access. Most also do not have easy access to slums
have been unserviced and unrecognised for long periods, over 20 years
in some cities.
Like all informal settlements, housing in slums is built on land that the
occupant does not have a legal claim to and without any urban planning or
adherence to zoning regulations. In addition, slums are often areas where
many social indicators are on a downward slide; for example, crime and
unemployment are on the rise.

Content:

Reason for formation of slums :

Growth rate of population (Urbanization)

First of all the growth rate of Indian population is very high and this growth rate
is much higher in the urban areas because of the migration of large number of
people from rural to urban. Due to the poverty, unemployment, lack of other
amenities and more importantly to elevate their status, people migrate to
urban areas, facilities in the cities are honey trap for the rural.The growth rate
of civic amenities in the urban areas does not keep pace with the growing
population. This difference in the growth rate provides space for the
development of the slums.

Poor housing planning

Lack of affordable low cost housing and poor planning by government

encourages the supply side of slums.Insufficient financial resources and lack
of coordination in government bureaucracy are two main causes of poor
housing planning.

Slow development of Villages

Villages in India are not Developed even on basic requirement level, and even
today people face the scarcity of water, electricity and many more basic
amenities. This lack of facilities in rural areas forces people to migrate to the
urban areas, which increases pressure on urban population. Though this is
not much pronounced reason for genesis of slums but it still is one of them.

Vote politics

Vote politics also support the slums. Removal of slums brings conflicts of
interest of politician. Slum population forms a good amount of easy vote bank
and politics want them to remain as they are, because their upliftment
and education will hurt their vote bank.

High house Rents In Cities

Poor peoples, most of which coming from rural areas, are not able to pay high
rent of houses in the towns. Hence wherever they find a land, public or
private, they start living there in temporary hutments, as the time progress,
more and more people joins them and that area soon develops into the slum.
Some of the slum areas in India are also inhabited by the refugees. Once an
area is marked as slum it started growing because of increasing population
pressure in cities.
Slums might not be planned by government but its irresponsible attitude
towards the village development is the root cause of slum formation. Slums
are not created intentionally but grows out of chaos, and once they are full
fledge politics prevent their removal. So only way to abolish slums is to
prevent migration from villages to urban area. However, this only will not
eradicate the problem but other steps, like employment generation in small
towns and urban planning are equally important.
There are many harmful impacts of slums also. They give rises to the varieties
of problems, that we will discuss in next post.

Cause of slums (in general)

• Poverty
• Absence of proper housing facility
• Migration
• Rapid raises of urban population
• Carless and neglect of house owners
• High rental
• Rate in cities
• Lack of cheap transport system
• Unplanned growth of cities
• Negligence of government and municipality
Broader view :
➢ Urbanization

A slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rocinha favela is next to

skyscrapers and wealthier parts of the city, a location that provides jobs and easy commute to those
who live in the slums.

The formation of slums is closely linked to urbanization In 2008, more than 50% of
the world's population lived in urban areas. In China, for example, it is estimated that
the population living in urban areas will increase by 10% within a decade according
to its current rates of urbanization. The UN-Habitat reports that 43% of urban
population in developing countries and 78% of those in the least developed countries
are slum dwellers.

➢ Poor house planning

Insufficient financial resources and lack of coordination in government
bureaucracy are two main causes of poor house planning. Financial
deficiency in some governments may explain the lack of affordable public
housing for the poor since any improvement of the tenant in slums and
expansion of public housing programs involve a great increase in the
government expenditure. The problem can also lie on the failure in
coordination among different departments in charge of economic
development, urban planning, and land allocation. In some cities,
governments assume that the housing market will adjust the supply of
housing with a change in demand. However, with little economic incentive, the
housing market is more likely to develop middle-income housing rather than
low-cost housing. The urban poor gradually become marginalized in the
housing market where few houses are built to sell to them.

➢ Informal economy
Many slums grow because of growing informal economy which creates
demand for workers. Informal economy is that part of an economy that is
neither registered as a business nor licensed, one that does not pay taxes
and is not monitored by local, state, or federal government. Informal economy
grows faster than formal economy when government laws and regulations are
opaque and excessive, government bureaucracy is corrupt and abusive of
entrepreneurs, labour laws are inflexible, or when law enforcement is
poor Urban informal sector is between 20 and 60% of most developing
economies' GDP; in Kenya, 78 per cent of non-agricultural employment is in
 the informal sector making up 42 per cent of GDP.[1] In many cities the
informal sector accounts for as much as 60 per cent of employment of the
urban population.

➢ Politics
Many local and national governments have, for political interests, subverted
efforts to remove, reduce or upgrade slums into better housing options for the
poor. Throughout the second half of the 19th century, for example, French
political parties relied on votes from slum population and had vested interests
in maintaining that voting block. Removal and replacement of slum created a
conflict of interest, and politics prevented efforts to remove, relocate or
upgrade the slums into housing projects that are better than the slums. Similar
dynamics are cited in favelas of Brazil,] slums of India, and shanty towns of
Kenya .

➢ Poverty
Urban poverty encourages the formation and demand for slums With rapid
shift from rural to urban life, poverty migrates to urban areas. The urban poor
arrives with hope, and very little of anything else. They typically have no
access to shelter, basic urban services and social amenities. Slums are often
the only option for the urban poor.

Characteristics:
(i) High rate of poverty

(ii) High incidence of unemployment;

(iii) Huge extent of urban decay;

(iv) Breeding grounds for social problems like crime, drug

addiction, alcoholism etc.;

(v) High rates of mental illness and suicide etc.;

(vi) Low level of economic status of its residents;

(vii) Inadequate infrastructural facilities;

viii) Lack of drinking water .

Effect of slums :
➢ Health & well-being
Because unplanned settlements are typically not connected to basic services such
as clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, residents are at great risk of
contracting water-borne and respiratory diseases (e.g. due to the lack of windows
and air vents).

High population density, lack of proper toilets and close proximity of homes
allow diseases to spread quickly. This creates a real risk for large populations who
are often unable to access adequate health facilities to get treatment in time.

➢ Safety & violence in slums

Emergency and law enforcement vehicles have difficulty navigating through
unplanned settlements due to tightly woven pathways and few signs, resulting in
difficulties monitoring and controlling crime and providing health services.Poor
community planning and structurally unsound construction create hazards for
inhabitants, which are exacerbated in many unplanned settlements by floods, fires
and landslides.

➢ Perpetuating the cycle of poverty

High rates of illness within slum communities cause a decline in productivity and
prevent children from attending school normally. For those who can, studies have
shown a clear decline in performance at school and a much higher drop-out rate due
to poor health. The lack of space and light to do their homework is also at cause.

On top of that, workers are often marginalised from the formal economy, as the lack
of a formal address is an obstacle to gaining employment. Working in the black
market only exacerbates their situation, making them more vulnerable to exploitation
and work-related accidents.

➢ Disasters and evictions

As people attempt to meet their immediate need for shelter, many low-income urban
dwellers end up with poorly constructed shelters in locations that are unsafe and
highly vulnerable to disasters and other types of environmental degradation.

Without secure land rights, many people living in poor urban conditions are
discouraged from investing limited financial resources into improving their housing or
adapting it to be energy efficient, given the ever-present risk of eviction.
Solutions :

Slum clearance, slum eviction or slum removal is an urban renewal strategy used

to transform low-income settlements with poor reputation into another type of

development or housing. This has long been a strategy for redeveloping urban

communities; for example, slum clearance plans were required in the United

Kingdom in the Housing Act 1930, while the Housing Acts of

1937 and 1949 encouraged similar clearance strategies in the United

States.[1][2] Frequently, but not always, these programs are paired with public housing

or other assistance programs for the displaced communities.

Improvement and clearance act 1956

The Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance Act) of 1956 provided "for the

improvement and clearance of slum areas in certain Union territories and for the

protection of tenants in such areas from eviction".The first Slum Clearance

Board was established by Tamil Nadu, the most urbanised state in India. Under a

new Slum Clearance Act, the government must declare areas identified as slums

and then either build new, permanent homes or improve living conditions in the slum.

Since the board was established in 1971, declaration of slums has only been made

twice, once when it was first established with 1200 slums and an additional 17 in

1985.
Methods of slums clearance:
1. Improvement methods
2. Complete removal methods

1) Improvement methods
1. If the houses are fairly good ,certain steps such as:
-Improvement of the streets system
-Filling up of low ground
-Modification of drainage arrangement
-Removal of obstrucation structure
May be taken up to implement slums clearance
scheme
2)Complete removal method
- In this method the ill construced houses are
demolished only those which are really good are
retained.
-the open spaced left are used for widening of roads,
providing recreating grounds or building new houses
of approved standards.
For the selection of the slums area for clearance as
against improvement ,the following two important
factors should be considered

a) The degree of public health hazards

involved
 b) The economic potential of the land
Student reflection :
Studying the life in slums has been a humbling
experience. It is a world where every day is a battle
for survival, and yet, it is filled with resilience,
community, and hope.The conditions in slums are
heart-wrenching: overcrowded spaces, lack of basic
sanitation, insufficient clean water, and poor access
to education and healthcare. These hardships seem
unimaginable for many of us who live in relative
comfort.

However, what stood out to me most was the spirit of

the people. Despite facing adversity, many
individuals in slums display extraordinary strength
and creativity. They find ways to make a living,
support their families, and even pursue education
with limited resources. This reflection has made me
more grateful for the privileges I have and more
aware of the inequalities in our society. It has also
inspired me to think about how I can contribute to
making a difference, whether through volunteering,
raising awareness, or supporting initiatives that aim
to uplift these communities.

Ultimately, the life of slums teaches us an important

lesson: humanity's capacity for hope and
perseverance is boundless, even in the face of
extreme challenges.
Bibliography:
Https//we.weforum.org
Https//www.wikipedia.org
Https//ww.sarthaks. com
Https//www .habitalfor humanity .org
Https//www.slideshared.net