King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
Question
Asked 25 April 2016
How to measure: 1. increasing rate of slums due to rapid urbanization. 2. increasing slums causing environmental degradation leading to health risks
I want to measure these variables. How can i measure urbanization?
By health risks I mean observing diarrhea and TB among slum dwellers. I want to know how to measure it.
I'm observing ecological deterioration of these slum territories and around territories, how could i measure environmental degradation of these areas?
Most recent answer
You can use the historical maps stored at GoogleEarth.
In general, the best way to study slums is to work on the ground by carrying out a survey.
Best wishes
Popular answers (1)
MKH Berhad
Your research question is quite interesting. However, putting in too many ideas together may lead to complication that hinder you to see the whole picture.
What I can understand from your question is that you would like to measure three variables: urbanization, health risk caused by diarrheal, and environmental degradation.
In terms of urbanization, it is the number of population living in urban area. This figure can be obtained from most of the statistics department. The slum population can be obtained by identifying all the slum areas in or surrounding the cities and the percentage of population living in those areas.
To study how the rate of urbanization contributes to the increasing of slum, you may need to obtain the time series of urban population in one area, let say 10 years, and compare how the urban population has been growing within this 10 years period. By doing so, you can also know how many percent of population living in those slum areas located within and surrounding the city.
In terms of health risk caused by diarrheal, the access to clean water supply is a good indication. Since the most common cause of diarrheal is an infection of the intestines due to either a virus, bacteria, or parasite, as a result of accessing food or water that has been contaminated, people living in areas without water supply may have high tendency to be infected. In this case, you may get the proxy of diarrheal health risk by knowing the percentage of urban population with no access to water supply.
In terms of environmental degradation in slum area, you may need to obtain the water quality data from the environmental department. You may need to identify where the water resources of this slum population are, and to check whether these resources fall under Class A, Class B, or Class C with regard to World Heath Organization drinking water quality standard.
As a conclusion, when you try to analyse your research question separately, you can easily obtain the data that you want from published document. Otherwise, you may need to conduct primary data collection by your own, in which is costly and time consuming.
4 Recommendations
All Answers (13)
MKH Berhad
Your research question is quite interesting. However, putting in too many ideas together may lead to complication that hinder you to see the whole picture.
What I can understand from your question is that you would like to measure three variables: urbanization, health risk caused by diarrheal, and environmental degradation.
In terms of urbanization, it is the number of population living in urban area. This figure can be obtained from most of the statistics department. The slum population can be obtained by identifying all the slum areas in or surrounding the cities and the percentage of population living in those areas.
To study how the rate of urbanization contributes to the increasing of slum, you may need to obtain the time series of urban population in one area, let say 10 years, and compare how the urban population has been growing within this 10 years period. By doing so, you can also know how many percent of population living in those slum areas located within and surrounding the city.
In terms of health risk caused by diarrheal, the access to clean water supply is a good indication. Since the most common cause of diarrheal is an infection of the intestines due to either a virus, bacteria, or parasite, as a result of accessing food or water that has been contaminated, people living in areas without water supply may have high tendency to be infected. In this case, you may get the proxy of diarrheal health risk by knowing the percentage of urban population with no access to water supply.
In terms of environmental degradation in slum area, you may need to obtain the water quality data from the environmental department. You may need to identify where the water resources of this slum population are, and to check whether these resources fall under Class A, Class B, or Class C with regard to World Heath Organization drinking water quality standard.
As a conclusion, when you try to analyse your research question separately, you can easily obtain the data that you want from published document. Otherwise, you may need to conduct primary data collection by your own, in which is costly and time consuming.
4 Recommendations
Prabhu Jagatbandhu College, Andul, Howrah, India
Hina,
your question is general in nature. Factors for Development of slum or rate of increase in the slum area vary from place to place. It depends on the inter-relationship of historical, economic, social and political forces along with the backdrop of physical environment. You first identify these forces for your study area. then you yourself will be able to identify the variables to be measured. Suppose in Kolkata slums have been developed due to partition in 1947, Bangladesh war in 1971, labour migration from other E'n Indian states, gap in the economic status, over population, lack of education, low skill development, low wage, high land and real estate price in the city etc. etc. etc.
Every factor has many variables to be measured. The selection will depend on your objective.
For Health risk you can consider, source of drinking water, domestic water, sanitation and regular / storm water drainage mechanism, nutrition level, income level, occupational hazard and last but not the least education and awareness level.
Regards
Sarada
1 Recommendation
Jamia Millia Islamia
Dear Friend,
your queries are very interesting.
1. Urbanization could be measured as the percent of urban population to total population i. e. level of urbanization (LU). Rapid urban growth leads to haphazard slum growth and it is an integral part of urban area. Since, you are interested to study slum growth due to urbanization, you have to have time series data for slum as well as non-slum areas (total urban - slum= non-slum). And simply compute the decadal growth rate for both the areas and see the changes. You could also use correlation analysis to see the interdependence among slum growth and other socioeconomic indicators (urban growth rate, literacy rate, sex ration, Work Participation Rate-male/female, share of SC/STs population among others). [see this paper........http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/2010_45/41/Declining_Number_of_Slums_Nature_of_Urban_Growth.pdf].
2. For health risk assessment you should examine the prevalence, access and availability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for both slum and non- slum and compare this. Quality of water, sanitation and hygiene are most crucial in this respect.
1 Recommendation
National University of Sciences & Technology
1. increasing rate of slums due to rapid urbanization.
Ans: Option 1: Measure slum growth time series satellite imageries using GIS methodologies (5 year period for observing good difference)
Option 2: Visit Katchi Abadis Authorities for estimated data of growth of slum example Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority, Study Katchi Abadis Act of Provinces like Punjab Katchi Abadi Act of 1992 for classifying what is slum and what is not (see international literature as well)
2. increasing slums causing environmental degradation leading to health risks
Option 1: Related to GIS. Measure distances of slum settlements and nearest open spaces (environmental degradation) and medical centres (health risk). Compare standards needed for assessing risk. You can use National Reference Manual of Pakistan 1982 for checking required number of medical facilities per 1 million population.
Option 2: Correlate data from Govt with actual socioeconomic situation collected through questionnaires. Check whether they have health issues or not. If they have check can they afford it or not. Use regression for identifying factors influencing health risks.
Last option : Use this paper's methodology for health risk assessment in context of slums.
Hope this helps.. Good Luck!
1 Recommendation
The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization
Hello,
As it was already mentioned, quantitative data plays crucial role to observe the changes in development of urban areas/squatters. If you have no chance to contact with the institute of statistics and/or urban development agencies, questionnaires can be helpful. Aereal photos, sattlelite images/maps in time series can be other useful reference materials. However, the urbanization trends of a given settlement will provide guidance to determine the period of the study, e.g. 2 year period or 5 year period of observation might lead the different results to interprete the increasing rate of slum areas.
Good luck,
Ebru
1 Recommendation
University of Dar es Salaam
Hello,
Also you can use medical records to get the number of patients from the slums who were diagnosed with water bone diseases. This can also be time series and the results can be compared with spatial analysis results.
All the best,
Nestory
1 Recommendation
Economica
I think that it is an interesting and useful question. Urbanization can be measured by the dynamics of city growth. Just take time series for its population, then find % of increase across years.
There should be statistics for particular diseases per 1000 inhabitants. Look also at its dynamics.
Finally, you need some measure for slums. Of course, it is a fuzzy variable, because some housing is at the border between slums and not-slums. You might think about some threshold in housing price. For example, what has the price below $10,000 is a slum.
If a city has a clear division into districts and it is known in which slums dominate, then you can compare statistics for income and diseases across those districts. This spatial analysis can complement dynamics.
International Institute for Population Sciences
Good topic ....yes I have also done a paper exactly related to what you want to do. I have tried to relate ...whether with increasing urbanization slums are growing or not. And for that I computed the population growth rate of urban and slum population in India. The result was positively associated with each other.
Secondly, regarding your second question that how increasing slum causing environmental degradation. This could be achieved...if you have data related to were the percentage of slums situated (e.g. near stagnant water or polluted area), % accessing safe drinking water, toilet facility, percent using type of fuel (Biomass, kerosene....etc). Type of kitchen (within household without separate room). This indicators will help you analyse and link with those who are suffering with T.B. or diarrhea.
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