Disparities in Drinking Water and Sanitation in the Urban Slums of Kerala, India

Abstract

Even though the water and sanitation situations in urban areas are better than those in rural areas, the situation in the urban slums is worse than that in rural areas. Knowledge of the actual situation of the deprived slums is very important for introducing effective policies to steer a resilient system. This study tried to determine the disparity between the two urban slums based on the principles of availability, accessibility, acceptability, quality and safety and affordability of water and sanitation. The study used a comparative analysis based on the absolute disparity methods. With the support of water and sanitation deprivation indices, percentages, chi-square test, t-test and Mann–Whitney U test the study determined the disparity between the slums. The deprivation level of the physical environment of the two urban slums is almost the same, whereas the water and sanitation deprivation levels are very high in the Vizhinjam slum area compared to those in Barten Hill. Therefore, concerted efforts are needed to reduce the disparities between slums as well as the overall physical environment of the urban slums. Since the physical environment, including infrastructural facilities, is lacking in urban slums compared to other urban areas, achieving a resilient economy requires a systematic institutional framework with proper governance. The three components in the integrated development approaches are households, communities and cities, lacking essential services, which needs immediate solutions. The entry point should be at the household level.