Environmental conditions and health status of slum dwellers in civil line area of Aligarh City, U.P

The main objective of the paper is to find out the impact of environmental conditions on health status of slum dwellers in civil line area of Aligarh city. The main components of environmental conditions included in this study are related to housing conditions, water supply, sanitation, garbage and electricity. The study is based on primary data collected from a survey of 300 households in 5 different slum localities of the civil line area of the city. It is observed that the environmental conditions of the slum population are alarming. There is lack of all basic amenities and social facilities which greatly affected the health conditions of the sampled respondents. There is dearth of drainage, drinking water and toilet facilities. Open drains and adjacent houses are characterized by dirty and unhygienic conditions. The impact of these conditions is reflected in diseases like skin problem, backbone problem, malnutrition, gout, asthma, malaria and ulcer in the study area. Health is basically related to nutrition as well as to hygiene. Income is also one of the main factors that affect the health profile of the slums. Besides income, lack of education and awareness also plays an important role in the health status of slums. The study shows the slum people in civil line area of Aligarh city are engaged in rickshaw pulling, Baildari and rag picking. The monthly income of the slum people is very low. Due to their poverty slum people are forced to do self medication instead of going to any health centre for medical check-up. The present scenario of the slums draws our attention to take effective steps in order to improve the quality of their life.