E-Paper
Covid-19: Slum dwellers at risk, experts suggest enhanced monitoring
Of the 116 fresh Covid-19 cases reported from Mumbai on Tuesday, two were from Dharavi, one of the world’s most densely populated slums. In Kolkata, too, two pavement dwellers were detected positive for Covid-19.
Cases of slum dwellers in two urban centres in Maharashtra and West Bengal testing positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) have raised concerns s about the vulnerability of the inhabitants of these areas, short on space and basic amenities.
Of the 116 fresh Covid-19 cases reported from Mumbai on Tuesday, two were from Dharavi, one of the world’s most densely populated slums. In Kolkata, too, two pavement dwellers were detected positive for Covid-19.
While authorities are tracing their travel and contact history, experts suggest there is a need to revisit how social distancing is being imposed in these slum clusters during the ongoing lockdown, which may be extended well beyond April 14.
Amitabh Kundu, distinguished fellow at the New Delhi-based think tank, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, said the lockdown has been largely successful in urban areas, among the middle and the upper classes because of a lot of social vigilantism, but the same cannot be said for those living in slum clusters or in areas inhabited by lower income groups.
“Residents’ welfare associations are taking extra care; there is limited entry of people, quarantine notices were put up on houses with members having travel history and effective monitoring is being done, often at the irritation and violation of privacy of the affected households. But we are really worried that the hot spots should not extend to the rural areas, low income areas and slums in towns and cities,” he said.
The union health ministry on Tuesday cited an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study that claims a Covid-19 patient can infect 406 people in 30 days if preventive measures such as lockdown and social distancing are not implemented.
But is social distancing conceivable in slum dwellings where an average family has four to five people living in a single room?
Kundu said the concept of social distancing is difficult in lower income groups because of the lockdown, since most of them spend more time in confined spaces.
“As per Census 2011, about 25% of the people living in urban slums still have to go out for toilet and drinking water; for them the lockdown means standing in long queues (where social distancing is not possible). About 45% of these people are workers mostly employed in informal sector. They are not allowed to go out unless they are part of the essential services,” he said.
Lack of amenities, such as potable water and toilet facilities, also forces these people to break the social distancing protocol.
“The sense of hygiene maintenance in India is already compromised. For people in slums, access to space, safe water and privacy is a daily struggle that has been heightened by the lockdown, so the immediate steps that can be taken now are focusing on the most susceptible in this group, those above 60,” said Manoj Misra, head of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, a non government organisation that works for the revival of the Yamuna.
Another aspect that threatens to weaken the social distancing protocol has been the movement of migrant workers, most of whom live in slums.
While the union government has asked all states to ensure that manufacture, production, transportation and other related activities in the chain of supply of food, medicine and medical equipment are maintained, and instructed industries not to cut jobs or withhold wages, many slum dwellers have moved back or are wanting to head back to their own villages.
“Based on the data of the 2011 Census and two rounds of NSS data, one would estimate the total number of interstate migrants as 67 million of which 20 million are workers. As per estimates of this, 6 to 7 million are those who are employed in the casual sector and face the threat of losing their jobs; another 6 to 7 million are what are classified known as a ‘regular” workers by NSS but they’re in the informal sector. So in all, about 12 million are likely to face job cuts. Then, there are the ‘self employed’ small vendors -about 8 million of them; half of them are interstate migrants and many of them would want to go back to their homes,” said Kundu.
He said while the government works out the details of whether to extend the lockdown, it should consider certain relaxation for travel and work for these migrant workers.
