Problems and Issues Facing India

1. Problems and Issues Facing India

2. Major problems & Issues in India today • Overpopulation  1 billion & climbing. • Economic development. • Hindu-Muslim tensions. • Gender issues  dowry killings. • Caste bias  discrimination against untouchables continues. • The Kashmir dispute and nuclear weapons. • Political assassinations.

3. India and the Subcontinent • Conflict over Kashmir – India & Pakistan • Irrigation • Pride • Nuclear Weapons – India & Pakistan • Flood control – India & Bangladesh • Humanitarian Aid – India & Bangladesh

4. Urbanization and Poverty

5. Daily life in India is centered around cities, villages, and religion. • Cities • Two largest cities—Mumbai (Bombay) and Kolkata (Calcutta) • Bangalore and Mumbai—universities, research centers, and high-tech businesses • Most people struggle to earn a living in the cities. • Villages • Most Indians live in rural areas. • Most villagers work as farmers and live with an extended family. • Paved roads and electricity have only recently reached many Indian villages. • Religion • Plays a key role in Indian daily life • Most practice Hinduism. • Many follow other religions (Islam, Buddhism, etc.). • Millions practice Sikhism and Jainism. • Religious celebrations are important.

6. 2 Daily Life • About 7 out of 10 Indians live in villages and farm for a living. • Houses belonging to more prosperous families in a village are made of better materials than those of poorer villagers, most of which include only a charpoy, or wooden bed frame with knotted string in place of a mattress. • For religious and economic reasons, Indians follow a mostly vegetarian diet, and most Indians eat some form of rice every day.

7. 70% Rural 600,000 villages

8. Poverty Abounds

9. Four of every ten people in India struggle to live on the equivalent of less than $1.25 /day

10. Comparative Statistics for Selected Countries in South Asia

11. Poverty is a tremendous problem in South Asia

12. Consider these indicators of poverty for the countries of South Asia

13. Today India faces many challenges, including a growing population and economic development. Population • India is the world’s second most populous country. • India’s huge population places a strain on India’s environment and resources. • Urbanization is taking place. Urbanization is the increase in the percentage of people who live in cities.

14. Year 1800 1950 2000 2008 2030 2% 30% 47% ~50% ~ 60% Urbanization trends in India Urban Population Total population In million 140 360 1027 1160 2050 Source: UN, Urbanization prospects, the 1999 revision

15. Urbanization Growth • If India does grow rapidly, one would expect about 75% of India’s population would be urbanized by 2050 • Urban population in 2050 = 75% of 1.6 billion = 1.2 billion • Urban population today = 28% of 1.002 billion = 280 million • Urban population would increase by 920 million by 2050 (almost 20 million new urban residents a year) • Can India cope with such rapid urbanization, or will it stymie India’s growth?

16. Urbanization: Trends and Patterns-2 • 286 million people in India live in urban areas (around 28% of the population)* • The proportion of urban population in India is increasing consistently over the years • From 11% in 1901 to 26% in 1991 and 28% in 2001 • Estimated to increase to 357 million in 2011 and to 432 million in 2021* • After independence • 3 times growth - Total population • 5 times growth - Urban population* * Census of India 2001

17. INDIA: URBAN GEOGRAPHY • In 2003, India was one of the least urbanized of the large in population countries of the world, given that only 28 percent of the country's population resided in urban areas. • Although the proportion classified as urban is small, in absolute numbers India had 299,208,000 people residing in urban centers. • Mumbai (formerly Bombay), with 11,914,398 people, is the largest city of India in terms of population. Delhi ranks second with 9,817,439 followed by Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) with 4,580,544. • 11 Indian cities have populations in excess of one million inhabitants. • The largest metropolitan area populations of India are: • Mumbai 16,368,084 • Kolkata 13,216,546 • Delhi 12,791,458

18. Dharavi is the largest ‘slum’ in Asia Location: Mumbai, India

19. How would they describe Dharavi to a tourist?

20. Dharavi is described as a “slum of hope” Dharavi is described as a “slum of despair”

22. Demographics in South Asia 70% of South Asians live in rural areas, in villages, yet South Asia has some of the world’s largest cities: • Mumbai- 16 million • Kolkatta- 13 million • Delhi- 13 million • Dhaka- 13 million

23. INDIA: URBAN GEOGRAPHY • Indian urbanization is accelerating, and urban India is today growing more than twice as rapidly as the country's overall population. • Attendant problems include poor sanitation, street dwellers, and riots. • In 1984, riots between Hindu and Moslems in Mumbai left hundreds dead. • Reasons for migration to cities (internal migration): • Loosening of ties between poor peasants and their villages. • Widespread establishment of village men or "caste brothers" who encourage friends and relatives to move to the cities.

24. Reasons for migration to cities: • Higher salaries • Business opportunities • Anonymity and individualism • Rise in caste status • Agricultural modernization (reduces rural incomes and jobs) • Population pressures • Refugees of drought or flooding

25. Migration-causes • Increased family size-limited agricultural property -Land use Pattern -Irrigation facilities • Better income prospects • Better educational facilities • Better “Life style” • Basic amenities – health, transport,water, electricity. • Victims of natural/manmade calamities-Refugees

26. 2 Urbanization • Many of India’s people live in small or medium-sized towns, which are larger and livelier than rural villages. • India’s cities are very densely populated, as evidenced by Mumbai’s population density of 714,000 inhabitants per square mile. • Despite the extreme crowding and poverty, cities offer more opportunities for work and education than do rural areas.

28. INDIA: URBAN GEOGRAPHY • Population densities in urban centers are very high. • Kolkata (Calcutta) averages 13,900 persons per sq km (36,000 persons per sq mi) for its entire area of 1036 sq km (400 sq mi). • By comparison, New York City averages 1544 persons per sq km (4,000 persons per sq mi). • In Kolkata (Calcutta), an estimated 200,000 residents are known as street people and sleep under bridges, railway overpasses, in doorways or wherever they can find a spot. • Slightly better off are the residents of the bustees, hovels made of cardboard, burlap, or other scrap material. • An estimated 2,000,000 people live in bustees.

29. INDIA: URBAN GEOGRAPHY • Indian urbanization reveals several regional patterns: • The northern heartland, the west (wheat growing area) is more urbanized than the east (where rice forms the main staple crop). • In the west urbanization may be as much as 40%; in the east only about 10% of the population resides in urban centers. • India's larger cities (more than 100,000) are concentrated in three regions: (1) the northern plains from Punjab to the Ganges Delta (2) the Bombay-Ahmadabad area (3) the southern end of the peninsula, which includes Madras and Bangalore • Large cities(more than one million) outside these regions include centrally positioned Nagpur and Hyderabad (capital of Andhra Pradesh).

31. Cities of India • Mumbai, on India’s west coast, is the country’s busiest port and its financial center, while Chennai and Kolkata are major centers of commerce and shipping on the east coast. • New Delhi is the country’s capital and center of government. • Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges, is regarded by Hindus as their holiest city, and devout Hindus hope to visit the city at least once within their lifetime to wash in the sacred Ganges River.

33. Migration-consequences • Overcrowding • Mushrooming of slums • Unemployment • Poverty • Physical & mental stress • Family structure-Nuclear families -Single males

34. Migration-cobweb Slums Illiteracy Migration Unemployment Overcrowding Unhygienic conditions Poverty Stretching of overburdened systems Communicable diseases Crimes Non-Communicable diseases Injuries Mental illness Stress Life style modification

35. A scene which makes every Indian feel shameful…

36. Slums of India • In the last decades, the total urban population in India’s 3 largest metropolitan areas has increased to nearly 400 million people. • In 2011, India’s slum population was estimated to be 90 million. T • his rapid urbanization has brought unique challenges to those calling India’s cities home. • Planning practices left over from Colonial times have created city structures characterized by unequal distribution of public services, especially access to clean water and sanitary waste disposal. • Government agencies, as well as Non-Governmental Organizations, are working to provide access to clean water and sanitation for India’s slum dwellers through crisis intervention, infrastructure construction, and education on water quality standards and women’s issues1,2

37. Slums • Under section 3 of the Slum Area and Improvement Act (Improvement and Clearance Act) (Act No.96, 1956) an area is legally considered a slum if competent authority reports that any areas are: • a)In any respect unfit for human habitation; • or b) are by reason of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangement and design of such buildings, narrowness or faulty arrangement of streets, lack of ventilation, light, sanitation facilities or any combination of these factors which are detrimental to safety, health and morals • More males than females • Vast majority is part of the working age group (15-59) • Caste System continues to play defining role

38. Factors Affecting Health in Slums* • Economic conditions • Social conditions • Living environment • Access and use of public health care services • Hidden/Unlisted slums • Rapid mobility * Agarwal S, Satyavada A, Kaushik S, Kumar R. Urbanization, Urban Poverty and Health of the Urban Poor: Status, Challenges and the Way Forward. Demography India. 2007; 36(1): 121-134

39. Double Burden of Diseases • Overcrowding and related health issues • Rapid growth of urban centers has led to substandard housing on marginal land and overcrowding • Outbreaks of diseases transmitted through respiratory and faeco-oral route due to increased population density • It exacerbates health risks related to insufficient and poor water supply and poor sanitation systems • Lack of privacy leading to depression, anxiety, stress etc

40. Double Burden of Diseases • Upsurge of Non-communicable diseases • The rising trends of non-communicable diseases are a consequence of the demographic and dietary transition • Decreases in activity combined with access to processed food high in calories and low in nutrition have played a key role • Urbanization is an example of social change that has a remarkable effect on diet in the developing world

41. Double Burden of Diseases • Traditional staples are often more expensive in urban areas than in rural areas, whereas processed foods are less expensive • This favors the consumption of new processed foods • This places the urban population at increased risk of NCDs • In India, chronic diseases are estimated to account for 53% of all deaths and 44% of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost in 2005

42. KEY CHALLENGES TO URBAN HEALTH SERVICES

43. Operational Challenges • Lack of standards for • Provision of safe water and sanitation facilities • Housing and waste disposal systems • No public health bill for setting up and regulating these standards • Lack of understanding of recent demands of urban health care delivery and poor planning/implementation

44. Operational Challenges • Lack of infrastructure for setting up of primary health care facilities • Many slums are not having even a single primary health care facility in their vicinity • Multiple health care facilities/bodies but without coordination • Lack of community level organizations/slum level organizations and lack of adequate support to them

45. Infrastructure Issues

46. Disparate Taxation • Only 35 million people pay income tax to the federal government. • Formal Sector • Over 1 billion pay NO federal taxes! • Informal Sector • Largely agricultural or village based

47. Lacking Infrastructure • Major cities are not connected at this point by a highway system. • Golden Quadrilateral Highway Project will eventually connect New Delhi-Mumbai-Bangalore-Chennai-Kolkata. - $12 billion • Currently only 3,700 miles of highways!!! • 40% of farm produce goes to waste as a result of poor transportation

48. Infrastructure Issues • Irrigation & Water Pollution – Narmada Valley Project • Building of 30 major & 3,000 minor dams • Electric power will be created • Bhopal Accident – American chemical plant accident, killed 2,000 • Modernizing vs. Environmental Protection

49. Scheduled Improvements • New $430 million Bangalore International Airport to be completed by April 2008. (European built and operated) • Roads to the airport are uncertain • Vallapardam Ship Terminal in Kochi (southwest coast of Kerala) to be completed by Dubai’s DP World at a cost of $555 million

50. Population Issues How To Handle Them