Slums are the areas that lack sufficient living space, hygiene levels, sanitation facilities, clean water, and sturdy houses to live in. The infrastructure in slum areas is often deteriorated and they are majorly inhabited by the destitute community. Let’s discuss some of the largest slums in the world where people face challenges every day.

As per Merriam Webster, the Slum is defined as,A thickly populated Urban area characterized by dirty housing overcrowding poverty and social disharmony. Unclean water,illiteracy poor sanitation ,poor Healthcare facilities,Shelter. Combination of all these can be termed as worst slums.

Worst and Largest Slums in the World and Facts about them

Kenya (700,000 people) Kibera, Nairobi.

Kibera is the largest slum in Africa.More than half the population is without work.There is very less clean water and no garbage collection.

Kenya (200,000 people) Mathare Nairobi,

Mathare lacksElectricity sanitation and Clean roads.Dates back to 1920

Nairobi, Kenya (650,000 people)Kawangware.

Malnutrition and poverty are major problems. People cannot afford one square meal per day.

Nairobi, Kenya (100,000 people) Kangemi.

Unemployment drug addiction HIV and Alcoholism are root cause for being worst slum.

More than 66% of the occupants in the Kenyan capital live in three slums crowded into 6% of the city’s property. However, infrastructure development such as tarmac roads, piped water, and streetlamps are making the lives of people improved in Kibera and other Nairobi slum areas. Groups of criminals, political viciousness, and extrajudicial police killings are still the major issue today.

Cape Town, South Africa (400,000 people) Khayelitsha

In 2011, the last census pegged the number of inhabitants of this sea of ramshackle wood and iron shacks. It was set up during the 1980s as a ghetto for dark specialists who moved to Cape Town looking for occupations during the time of apartheid, however, it developed quickly after the oppression was nullified in 1994.

Today, large number of homes don’t even have proper toilets, unemployment is about 70%, and according to local area police, they handle 3-4 murders every weekend due to the violence created by criminals.

Karachi, Pakistan (2.4 million people) Orangi Town.

Orangi is a municipality of 57 square kilometers located in an area that constitutes much of the northeastern area of Karachi, Pakistan. Orangi including the neighbourhood municipality of Baldia Town has a population of over 2 million.

Orangi is known as Asia’s largest slum area, with a population of 2.4 million, and is Karachi’s unplanned settlement location.

Residents here live in houses built from concrete blocks, with 8-10 inhabitants sharing two rooms. Deprived of government assistance, the community has built its own sewer system, with local residents taking responsibility for overall maintenance. But, due to a lack of clean water people here are suffering from health problems including typhoid, malaria, and water-borne sickness.

Mexico City, Mexico (1.2 million people) Ciudad Neza,

More Schools more transportation.And improving public services Is the need of the hour

India (1 million people) Dharavi, Mumbai,

Dharavi is located in Mumbai city of Maharashtra state, India. The area is one of Asia’s largest slums spread over 2.1 square kilometres and has a population of about 1,000,000. The area has also been promoted in the Oscar-winning film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. People here reside in single-room, interconnected shacks, and narrow lanes.

The slum was founded in the year 1884 during the British colonial era and grew because of the migration of rural Indians into the urban city of Mumbai. And for this, Dharavi has a highly diverse group of residents ethnically and religiously.

The area has an active informal type of economy where a large number of small-scale enterprises employ many slum residents. Textile, leather, and pottery products are some of the goods made in the area – of Dharavi. The annual turnover has been evaluated as over US $1 Billion.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (200,000 people) Rocinha

Average monthly income is Dollar 240. Most of the people have electricity and sanitation problems

Lagos (40,000 – 300,000) people Makoko

This is like malaria, Nutrition affect this places .Out of 6 slums two are situated in lagoons. Four are in lands.

Serious issues are being faced by 10 worst slums.Proper governance, International aid and reconstruction. Slums problem can be eradicated.

Manshiyat Nasser, Cairo

Manshiyat Nasser is a ward of Cairo which is known as Garbage City – is a slum area with a population of 60,000. Most of the homes lack electricity, water, and sewers. In 2009, the slaughter of Egypt’s pigs due to the outbreak of swine flu hit the residents of Manshiyat very hard. Since then they use pigs for the purpose of organic waste and earn extra bucks by selling the pig meat.

Cite-Soleil, Port au Prince, Haiti

If talk about Cite-Soleil – a densely populated commune in Haiti where criminals surpass the police. Education and healthcare facilities are low-grade. Until 2017, the soldiers of MINUSTAH isolated the district from the Haitian capital. Because of this, the United Nations Stabilization Mission has positioned Haiti to seize the slum area from the control of criminals.

Tondo, Manila, Philippines

Manila has a population of around 80,000 people. Hygiene issues and flow of dirty water is a reason of widespread disease in this district. Residents here find and sell the items that are rubbish or can be recycled which is the only source of income of people here.

In one of the slum areas called Happy land, residents make their living by picking chicken scraps from the garbage. They use to boil the scraps to make eatery dish known as Pagpag for sale to other slum habitants.