Urban Poor

• High vulnerability:
  • Indian cities are vulnerable to multiple disasters like urban floods, urban heat islands, air pollution, inaccessibility of potable water etc.
  • For instance, When the monsoon hits Mumbai this June, the city, which is already fighting the coronavirus pandemic, will be staring at another major challenge: vector-borne diseases.
  • People living in slum areas – ‘urban poor’ are also prone to suffer from waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera, as well as from more fatal ones like cancer and HIV/AIDS.
  • Also, women and children living in slums are prone to become victims of social evils like prostitution, beggary and child trafficking. Slum dwellers in general and regardless of gender, often become victims of such social evils.
• Proliferation of slums: – land to people ratio in cities has been exacerbated. Also there is lack of hygenic and sanitation in slums leading to various health problem living there.
• Non-inclusive development: Urban poor are not receiving the benefits of the development – rich are getting richer with development while poor are getting poorer. E.g. India is quite far behind in inclusivity index.
• Degradation of environment and habitat: Urban commons like lake, urban forests, green areas in Cities are adversely affected due to the need for development, for instance, Aarey forests in Mumbai.
• Development at the cost of poor: The peri-urban areas where tribes live are being occupied for establishments of industries without proper compensation and rehabilitation.
• Hectic life: as per a survey people in mega cities are spend more time in office than home. Family life has been affected adversely.
• Lastly, hunger, malnourishment, lack of quality education, high infant mortality, child marriage, child labour are some of the other social problems prevalent for urban poor.

• Poverty is the most significant reason behind the creation of slums. So, the issue of poverty must be addressed first by policymakers.
• There is also a need for future policies to support the livelihoods of the urban poor by enabling urban informal-sector activities to flourish and develop. Slum policies should be integrated within broader, people-focused urban poverty reduction policies that address the various dimensions of poverty.
• Easy geographical access to jobs through pro-poor transport should also be created.
• Adequate data should be gathered by conducting various studies before the formulation of any policy.
• There is also a need for investment in citywide infrastructure as a pre-condition for successful and affordable slum upgrading, which could also act as one strong mechanism for reversing the socio-economic exclusion of slum dwellers.
• Steps should be taken such that a higher and more stable income be made accessible to slum dwellers through their employment in productive jobs. This is because employment opportunities in urban centres that pay well has the potential to generate a healthy and sustainable lifestyle in the slums.
• Lastly, slums should be developed because developing slums also trigger local economic development, improve urban mobility and connectivity, and integrate the slums, which are enormous economically productive spheres, into the physical and socioeconomic fabric of the wider city.

Local governments should develop strategies to prevent the formation of new slums. These should include access to affordable land, reasonably priced materials, employment opportunities and basic infrastructure and social services. Public investments must focus on providing access to basic services and infrastructure. Working with urban poor, cities need to invest in housing, water, sanitation, energy and urban services, such as garbage disposal. Developing cities requires local solutions. Local authorities need to be empowered with financial and human resources to deliver services and infrastructure to urban poor. Cities should draw up local long-term strategies for improving the lives of slum dwellers.