Slums definition acc. To Govt.

of
Delhi
A slum is a compact settlement of at
least 20 households
with a collection of poorly built
tenements, mostly of temporary
nature, crowded together usually with
inadequate sanitary and
drinking water facilities in unhygienic
conditions.

CENSUS OF INDIA
A Slum, for the purpose of Census,
has been defined as residential areas
where dwellings are unfit for human
habitation by reasons of dilapidation,
overcrowding, faulty arrangements
and design of such buildings,
narrowness or faulty arrangement of
street, lack of ventilation, light, or
sanitation facilities or any
combination of these factors which

According toUN-HABITAT

A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lackingone or more1of the following conditions:
Access to improved water
Access to improved sanitation
Sufficient-living area
Durability of housing
Security of tenure
However, since information on secure tenure is not available for most of the countries, only the first four indicators are used to define
slum household, and then to estimate the proportion of urban population living in slums.
Access to improved water:
Improved drinking water technologies are more likely to provide safe drinking water than those characterized as unimproved. A household
is considered to have access to an improved water supply if it uses improved drinking water sources or delivery points (listed below).
Improved drinking water sources include: piped water into dwelling, plot or yard; public tap/standpipe; tube well/borehole; protected dug
well; protected spring; and rainwater collection.
Unimproved drinking water sources include: unprotected dug well; unprotected spring; cart with small tank/drum; bottled water 2; tankertruck; and surface water (river, dam, lake, pond, stream, canal, irrigation channels).
Access to improved sanitation:
Improved sanitation facilities are more likely to prevent human contact with human excreta than unimproved facilities. A household is
considered to have access to improved sanitation if it uses improved sanitation facilities (listed below).
Improved sanitation facilities3include: flush or pour-flush to piped sewer system, septic tank or pit latrine; ventilated improved pit latrine;
pit latrine with slab; and composting toilet.
Unimproved sanitation facilities include: flush or pourflush to elsewhere 4; pit latrine without slab or open pit; bucket; hanging toilet or
hanging latrine; no facilities or bush or field.
Durability of housing: A house is considered durable if it is built on a non-hazardous location and has a structure permanent and
adequate enough to protect its inhabitants from the extremes of climatic conditions, such as rain, heat, cold and humidity.
Sufficient living area: A house is considered to provide a sufficient living area for the household members ifnot more than three
peopleshare the same habitable (minimum of four square meters) room.
Secure tenure: Secure tenure is the right of all individuals and groups to effective protection by the State against arbitrary unlawful
evictions. People have secure tenure when there isevidence of documentationthat can be used as proof of secure tenure status or when
there is eitherde facto or perceived protection against forced evictions.

Reason for growth

Population growth
Countries around the world are urbanising rapidly as more people migrate from rural areas to the
cities and natural population growth continues to occur. Today, more than half the worlds
population resides in urban areas. More than 90 percent of this urban growth is taking place in the
developing world.
Urban migration happens for a number of reasons:
The pushing and pulling forces of migration.Some people migrate because they are pushed
out of their place of origin by factors such as natural disasters or sustained ecological changes.
Others are pulled to a new destination by better job prospects, education, health facilities, or
freedom from restrictive social or cultural realities.
Low incomes from agriculture.Most people in rural areas work in the agricultural sector, which
is highly dependent on weather. Also, rural land is limited, its fertility sometimes low or declining,
land holdings are small, farm debts are high, and many households have become landless. As a
result, overall rural incomes are low.
Better job prospects.In comparison with rural areas, urban areas offer dramatically increased
job opportunities. In addition, because urban cultures are often less constrained than those in
villages, cities can also offer greater prospects of upward social mobility.
People know what cities can offer them.Most migrants make a deliberate choice to stay or
leave in rural areas. Improved transport, communications and links with earlier migrants have all
made rural populations much more aware of the advantages and disadvantages of urban life,
especially regarding job opportunities and housing.