ICEH Papers

MIGRATION, SLUMS AND URBAN SQUALOR - A CASE OF GANDHINAGAR SLUM

Ali, Mohammed Akhter and Kavita Toran (2004) “Migration, Slums and Urban Squalor - A case study of Gandhinagar Slum" in Martin J. Bunch, V. Madha Suresh and T. Vasantha Kumaran, eds., Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Environment and Health, Chennai, India, 15-17 December, 2003. Chennai: Department of Geography, University of Madras and Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University. Pages 1-10.

Abstract:

Slums are a worldwide phenomenon which tends to deteriorate the urban environment. They are the shadow zones of urban existence where poverty, crime, aesthetic pollution apart from other type’s pollution, disease and deprivation co-exist. Physically they display a dense packing of houses and a further dense clustering of pollution within the houses. This in turn is associated with various physical and social problems. Migration from different parts of the area to slums makes the condition still unfavorable for survival. The main objectives are to study the migrational aspect of Gandhinagar slum which has been used as a case study to study the inter and intra migration and also the socio-economic strata of these slum dwellers of Gandhinagar slum which is located in south Hyderabad.

Various cartographic tools and tables were used for this study. The general conclusion drawn is that most of the slum dwellers have migrated from the southern part of the city and are here for generations. They have all public amenities except for a public library. The socio-economic conditions of people are not good as is testified by their income and expenditure pattern. Houses here are well built concrete structures. Their means of transport however are modest in keeping with their overall condition. Other aspects of these slums are shown through diagrams and maps.

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