CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS OF SLUMS

CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS OF SLUMS

The major causes of slums are unemployment and / or of the main compelling factors to take shelter in slums. Often come into existence in the vicinity of the places and organizations providing employment opportunities to the lower strata of the workforce.

This saves vital man hours as well as the transportation cost from the settlement to the place of work. In this manner, the residents of the slums divert some of their limited financial resources to procure other additional utilities which they could not probably afford if moved to relatively better settlement.

This seems to be one of the reasons for continued living in the slums for some of the residents. In some cases land once owned by people which was providing them shelter and livelihood, is taken by the government for social and economic activities or for allocation to private enterprises.

There residents are neither provided adequate compensation for their land nor given alternative land which could make resettlement feasible. Hence, they are made landless due to alleged corruption and lack of ethical and moral values amongst officials and politicians. However, the situation of slum varies from cities to cities depending upon population, employment potential and the cost of living in the city.

Also, the type of building in an environment which may be of poor architectural design, poor construction materials and non-conformity with town planning rules and regulations contribute to slums formation. Break-down of infrastructure facilities such as pipe borne water supply system, resulting in lack of maintenance of drainage and roads, which result as stagnant pool of water, breeding mosquitoes.

Over crowding constitutes another symptom of slum (one of the causes) if the rural urban drift to the high density residential area. This drift has been identified as one of the major contributors to population increase which has a resultant effect in slum development as the area of destination, because the available facilities are over stretched and easily lost their value.