India's 'Slumdog' Millions
20 February 2009
The success of Slum-dwellers are vulnerable. With no permanent roof over their heads, little prospect of a secure job and poor access to basic sanitation, bad health and social exclusion is rife. Children can become easy victims of crime, prostitution and child labour. Preventable diseases, too, take a huge toll on families, as our video (right), narrated by broadcaster Sir Mark Tully, shows. |
The fact is, over 42 million Indians live in slums, 18 million of them in cities. Abhijit Ray (urban development advisor at DFID India) commented:
"I enjoyed watching Slumdog Millionaire, and threw myself into the delicate moments, including when Jamal throws himself into the latrine pit to grab a chance to see his film idol.
"The latrine scene is a comic moment in the film but here in India, ‘hanging latrines’ are a stark reminder of India’s terrible burden of ill-health. Here’s a shocking fact: of the 1.2 billion people across the planet who are forced to contend with the indignity and environmental hazards of poor sanitation, at least half of them - about 600 million people - live here in India".
How we're helping India's urban poor
With
annual economic growth of 8.5% in the last fours years, India is now the world’s
4th largest economy (in purchasing power parity terms) and is expected to
overtake the US in the mid-2030s.
India’s cities have contributed 60% of this growth. Yet, 87 million people in India’s cities live below the poverty line. This is more than one third greater than the total population of the UK.
Improving access to clean water and sanitation is one of the biggest challenges: only 51% of urban households have piped water; and only 53% of urban households have access to hygienic sanitation facilities.
What is DFID doing about it?
First, we are committed to India. DFID India implements our
largest
country programme anywhere in the world.
Second, improving the lives of India's urban poor is a significant part of what we do. Our longstanding partnerships in India have led to improvements in seven million slum dwellers’ lives. That includes helping to deliver basic services like clean water and sanitation
We work with State governments and municipalities to improve local services, develop infrastructure, create jobs and get kids into schools in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Two success stories from the slum
 |
Kalyani Municipality in West Bengal recently became the first municipal body to be declared open defecation free. 10,000 families in Kalyani in 52 slums are now accessing sanitary toilets, and incidences of gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhoea, worm infestation, etc) have more than halved in the last two years The First Open Defecation-Free Municipality In India |
 |
Vinodini is the only, proud bread earner in her family today. As the eldest child, 20 year-old Vinodini could not complete her education. But she found a place on a DFID-supported training program that enables urban slum youth enhance their household income Changing lives in the slums of Hyderabad |
Key facts
- In India's cities alone, 87 million people live below the poverty line.
- DFID has around 20 years of involvement in the urban sector in India. Over this period our programmes have evolved from a concentration on infrastructure and community schemes to a focus on strengthening the ability of municipal authorities to deliver better services.
- DFID is supporting the Government of India to implement its £6 billion
flagship urban renewal programme. This programme focuses on improving supply
of clean water, proper waste disposal, urban infrastructure and other
municipal services.
