Slums Within Asia essays

Slums Within Asia essays The definition of a slum varies from one form to another depending on the background or country from which an individual comes from. Someone from a rich country may define slums as old run down buildings, whereas someone from a poor country will define slums as un-serviced haphazard constructions . The universal definition of a slum as found in the dictionary is said to be a heavily populated urban area characterized by substandard housing and filth . Slums are seen as a purely physical phenomenon. Slums are populated by two groups of people, the poor and the strangers . Since in slums there is a lack of cleanliness, serious diseases can spread easily and quickly. Slum inhabitants go through many problems, a few being they lack of public transit, constant migration, lack of water, no sewage or solid waste facilities, pollution, and shelter shortages . They also face poor ventilation, due to a lack of windows and electricity. They also tend to establish homes on unused land that is usually privately owned or government owned land. Therefore a concise definition for a slum would be a crowded urban area, marked by poverty, where living conditions are very bad and in poor condition . There are many reasons for the origination of slums in Indian cities. Slums for one reason may occur because the physical structures are allowed to be created in poor conditions or to deteriorate from past satisfactory structures . Slums have formed as early as the 17th century. In the 17th century, Gerald Aungier, the 2nd governor of Bombay tried to attract traders and artisans to the city, and thus causing a large influx in the population . Wealthy traders built their homes inside the British forts while others were forced to live in crowded areas around the fort resulting in slums . The problem of overcrowding still remained until the 18th century. It wasnt till the 19th century that India saw the growth of slums. Slums in India have forme...