Slums as a Barrier to Urban Development in Kolkata

The slum is an integral part of urban life; urban development is not the phenomenon keeping them aside. Slum dwellers are urban poor. In spite of a number of plans and policies implemented for their development what is actually achieved is the rampant miserable condition of slum life even in metropolitan cities of developing countries like India. One in six urban Indians lives in slum housing that is cramped, poorly ventilated, unclean, and unfit for human habitation.

Such true features like living of urban poor on the heap of city garbage and solid wastes, taking bath together with cattle in small, stagnant water bodies connected with toilets and latrines of houses, and also dumping ground of household’s solid wastes, do not reveal the true feature of urban development.

Unplanned and improper land utilization in slum areas leads to the problem of lack of living space and unhygienic conditions there. The present research paper based on empirical observation is an attempt to analyze diverse problems in slum life, and also to find the answer to the queries of how far such problems act as barriers to achieving urban development.

Also Read: Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III)