Slums

Poor management of rapid urbanisation is a “health hazard for certain vulnerable populations, and this demographic shift threatens to create a humanitarian disaster” (Patel and Burke, 2009). Slums represent the urbanisation of poverty and are the cause of the inability to manage rapid urbanisation. In many instances large slums lack basic government services, political recognition and are largely ignored by local governments. With examples of this occurring in developing countries such as Kenya where up to 43% of urban residents dwell in slums. In sub-Saharan Africa 71.8% of urban dwellers live in slums, the highest rate globally (Ramin, 2009).

A slum has a number of defining factors. These include the lack of basic services, poor quality housing, overcrowding and insecure tenure. Often there are no toilets, insufficient waste collection and poor quality/non-existent sewer systems. Poor access to sanitation and clean water is the reason for significant share of the ill health witnessed in slums. Even where access to clean water is available it is often unaffordable to the poor. With slum dwellers in East Africa paying 5-7 times more per litre of water than the average North American. An example of the poor urbansanitation is that in 2006, the only sanitation practice for 33% of East Africans was “open defecation” (Ramin, 2009).

Slum facilities are a breeding ground for disease and the over crowdedness presents the risk of epidemics. In Africa both slum and disease control/management is necessary to prevent spread.