Final Draft

Stefanie Teyer

Ms. Jeager

World Geography

8 November 2011

Threats to the World’s Populations: Slums

       "Urbanization is the increase in an area or population of a city or town"(Urbanization, pg. 2) Slums are the rundown part of a city or town. They are created by being pushed out as urban areas experience rapid growth. Slums are over packed with people of all ages that live in great economic depression, and as urbanization continues, slums grow. Slums have negative effects on the world's population because they are unsanitary, they are high in crime rates, and they are taking over urban populations.

            To begin with, slums are unbelievably dirty places that are infested with diseases. They are crawling with waste, both human and material. Waste from the outside world seeps into the slums and the waste from the slums never leaves (Fink, pg. 3).People that live in this type of environment lack the basic things that people inside the city take for granted, such as indoor plumbing, closed sewage, and solid homes.  Slums are littered with flying toilets, which are plastic bags filled with human waste. Slum residents live in homes made of mud, and do not have indoor plumbing but outhouses that are so intoxicated with waste it is almost preferable to do their business anywhere else. It is common for waste to seep into the drinking water of the residents, which is a common cause for diseases in slums. Slums are breeding grounds for viruses and are unhealthy for human life. This common insanitation can lead to bitterness in slum residents, which can then lead to violence.

            In addition to being unsanitary, slums are high in crime rates. The residents of the slums live so close together in these horrid circumstances that it evokes anger and irritation. The slum inhabitants,”… are being socialized in this very hostile environment, and some become very angry, so slums are breeding grounds for anti- social behavior”( Fink, pg. 6 ). The environment in the slums usually is a sense of community, a sense of, “we are all in this together.” However, the conditions in this environment can really unnerve some inhabitants, thus leading to more crime and violence. Unfortunately, because these slums are so economically easy to live in, they are growing more and more rapidly.

Furthermore, slums are taking over urban populations. By definition, slums are the run-down part of a city or town. In practice, these slums are created because of the combination of a massive increase of urban populations, called urbanization, and the fall of the economy. So many people want to cram into the city to be close to businesses and jobs, but many do not have the money to survive in these expensive areas. Therefore, slums are created in the outskirts of cities to sustain these people for little money. In effect, because slums are so economically easy to live in, they are growing massively in size. Statistics say slums will reach a population of, “26 million by 2025” (Blythe, pg. 7). This can have a negative affect on the world because an increase in slum populations will lead to an increase in diseases, which will lead to an increase in death rates. It will also lead to an increase in violence in the world, which back-tracks the ethics of the modern world thousands of years. It is clear that slums are taking over and suffocating the world little by little.

            In conclusion, slums are dangerous for the world. They are dirty and have diseases, they encourage crime and violence, and they are taking over. Slums are the homes for people who want the opportunities given in the cities, but have no money to survive in the city itself. They are so easy to live in economically that they are becoming more and more popular. Slums are negative things in the world. Therefore, the world must fight against them. The slum inhabitants need good housing, and clean environments. The world needs to work together to get rid of these disease- infected slums and rebuild the communities piece by piece so that the world may once again breathe clean. Society must not let slums take over, but stop them today for the health of Planet Earth.

Works Cited

Blythe, Nils. “Mumbai’s slum life poses world problems.” BBC News Online.  29 Sept. 2011.

            <http://news.bbc.co.uk/>.

Eaves, Elizabeth. “Two Billion Slum Dwellers.” 6 Nov. 2006. 29 Sept. 2011.

< http://www.forbes.com>

Fink, Sheri. “Cities of the Poor I: Life in the Slums (Kenya).” Public Radio International: The

            World. 29 Sept. 2011. <http://www.theworld.org/>.

“Urbanization.” World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. 29 Sept. 2011.

            <http://worldgeography.abc-clio.com/>.

Rough Draft

Stefanie Teyer

October 30, 2011

World Geography

Ms. Jaeger

Threats to the World’s Populations: Slums

       "That's the sewage. Now it's passing through the slum." Slums are the rundown part of a city or town. They are places pushed out by the rapid growth of urban populations. These slums are over packed with people of all ages. These slums have negative affects on the world's population because they full of diseases, they are high in crime rates, and they are taking over urban populations.

            Slums are unbelievably dirty places that are infested with diseases. They are crawling with waste, both human and non-human. These slums are over-populated with people that share dirty, infected products. In fact, “Slums throughout the developing world are –in a sense- giant cesspools” (             ). They are littered with flying toilets, which are plastic bags filled with human waste flying around. They are breeding grounds for viruses and diseases. Slums are unhealthy for human life, and as a result, promote violence.

            In addition to being dirty, slums are high in crime rates. These places are so over packed with people living in unsanitary conditions that it can drive them insane. The slum inhabitants,”… are being socialized in this very hostile environment, and some become very angry, so slums are breeding grounds for anti- social behavior”(                  ). The environment in the slums usually has a sense of community, a sense of, “we are all in this together.” However, the conditions in this environment can really unnerve some in habitants, thus leading to more crime and violence. Unfortunately, because these slums are so economically easy to live in, they are growing more and more rapidly.

            Furthermore, slums are taking over urban populations. By definition, slums are the run-down part of a city or town. In practice, these slums are created because of the massive explosion in increase of urban populations, but the fall of the economy. So many people want to cram into the city to be close to businesses and jobs, but many do not have the money to survive in these expensive areas. Therefore, slums are made in cities to sustain these people for little money. In effect, because slums are so economically easy to live in, they are growing massively in size. Statistics say slums will reach a population of, “26 million by 2025” (                     ). This can have a negative affect on the world because an increase in slum populations will lead to an increase in diseases, which will lead to an increase in death rates. It will also lead to an increase in violence in the world, which back-tracks the ethics of the modern world thousands of years. It is clear that slums are taking over.

            In conclusion, slums are dangerous for the world. They are dirty and have diseases, they encourage crime and violence, and they are taking over. Slums are the homes for people who want the opportunities given in the cities, but have no money to survive in the city. They are economically easy homes, and in effect are becoming more and more popular. Slums are negative things in the world. Therefore, the world must fight against them. The slum inhabitants need good housing, and clean environments. The world needs to work together to get rid of these disease- infected slums and rebuild the slums piece by piece so that the world may once again breathe clean. The world must not let slums take over, but stop them today for the health of Planet Earth.