Environment Issues and Health Problems of Slum Dwellers

The major cause of most environmental problems is the rapidly growing human population. About 90 million babies are born each year. At this rate, by the year 2050, global population will reach 10 billion. The current world population is, on average, very young and has many years of reproductive life ahead. In developing countries where the urbanization is occurring most rapidly, the technology is not high enough to take responsibility of water treatment and clean production. Many Western companies produce their products in developing countries because of more flexible environmental law and cheaper production costs. This puts extra pressure on the environment of the developing countries. Environmental problems in most of the urban centres are evident. Environment-related diseases or accidents remain among the major causes of illness, injury, and premature death. This is common in the poorer centres of urban areas. Most of these diseases are caused by pathogens in water, food, soil, or air. Burns, scalds, and accidental fires are common in overcrowded shelters.