UP504_FinalPodcast_The ordeals of people living near the Ghazipur landfill in Delhi_AnshitaKandhari

This academic podcast is prepared for the class UP 504. It will highlight the classism of city planning in Delhi, where people of the lower-income group are forced to live in areas that do not have fundamental living conditions which should be the common ground for everyone irrespective of their socio-economic class. National Capital Delhi is considered one of the important metropolitan cities in India. It is not difficult to comprehend due to the urban growth, it is hard to incorporate lifestyle amenities for all sections of society. But, does it mean that the vulnerable communities should continue to function without them? The health and well-being in the city should be equal for all the people. But, in Delhi people from low-income backgrounds not only live in unhygienic conditions but breathe polluted air, have the worst water quality and this impacts their social well-being. In addition to all of this, they deal with it without any proper affordable healthcare infrastructure. The population will not be stabilized for another 20 years and many people will shift to urban cities which will increase more residents and add more pressure to the environment. This situation should be dealt with seriousness by the urban planners. If they do not take measures right now, many people will be more crippled by not having equity in the physical environment, social benefits, and their health. The case study of the Ghazipur landfill area demonstrates an example of classism that targets the socially vulnerable, lower-income, and minorities of the city. People are being deprived of good environmental habitat because of their location and income group. This creates havoc in their mental state as well as their health, as people are not given something that is normal for a person belonging to a higher income group. The “privileged” person enjoys metropolitan life whereas some social groups do not even have access to basic living conditions. They breathe polluted air, live near landfills and other hazardous sites that invite diseases, and worst case, death.

References:

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management in Delhi, the capital of India. Waste management, 28(7), 1276-1287.

Milea, A. (2009). Waste as a Social Dilemma. Issues of Social and Environmental Justice and

the Role of Residents in Municipal Solid Waste Management, Delhi, India.

Pandey, S. K., Tyagi, P., & Gupta, A. K. (2007). Municipal solid waste management in

Ghazipur city-A case study. Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, 2(6),

41-43.

Mathangi Swaminathan (2018). How Can India's Waste Problem See a Systemic Change?.

Economic and Political Weekly

India still needs to tackle its solid waste problem(2019), Open Link  

Inside India's tallest Waste Mountain | Gazipur Landfill in Delhi

Breathless & Secluded: Life at Delhi’s Ghazipur Landfill Site | The Quint