941.3
Examining Relationship between Urbanisation & Health: A Case Study of Metropolis in Punjab,India
India is witnessing rapid urbanisation. The total urban population has increased from 28.6 million to 37.7 million during the period from 2001 to However absolute increase in urban population is 9.1 million which is one million more than increase in the rural population.There are 53 million plus cities out of which two are located in Punjab one Ludhiana and Amritsar having population of 1,613,878 and 1,132,761 respectively(Census 2011) and they constitute 26.7 percent of the total urban population of Punjab.
The process of urbanisation tends to have profound stress on the urban infrastructure on which Indian government spends US$ 17 per year .The metropolitization drive would lead to increased demand for basic services that include water supply, sewerage, and sanitation, solid waste management which are inadequate and deficient in service delivery. The fast pace at which urbanisation is occurring has impact on urban environment which directly or indirectly affects the human health. The impact is felt greater by those who are living in slums as they do not have access to basic necessities of life. The inadequacies of basic services affect the poor slum dwellers more as they forced to live in unsanitary living conditions. This brings in plethora of issues relating to personal health of slum dwellers in particular and public health in general.
The campaign by the Prime minister of India Narinder Modi for cleanliness and sanitation proves that Swachta hai toh Sehat hai Thus there is a need for examining the complex relationship between urbanisation and health in a comprehensive manner.The universe of the present study would be the ‘notified slums’ of Amritsar. Focused group discussions and interview schedule would be used to elicit response from the slum dwellers and stakeholders in healthcare system.