Cramped houses
and lack of daylight and ventilation in settlements constructed by the Slum
Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) led to the spread of the deadly tuberculosis
bacteria, according to the findings of a study.
The
one-year-long study was carried out by Doctors For You (DFU), a non-profit
organisation, in three colonies in M East Ward, which reported highest
prevalence of TB among Mumbai’s 24 wards. A total of 4,080 households were
surveyed, including 1,785 in Lallubhai Compound, 1,797 in Natwar Parekh
Compound and 498 in PMG Colony, which are located in Mankhurd and Govandi
areas.
A total of 318
TB patients were surveyed and a majority of them said that they had contracted
the disease after moving into the colonies. The study revealed that congestion
and poor architecture had a co-relation to the rise in tuberculosis cases in
the colonies.
Dr. Ravikant
Singh of DFU said, “This was the first time the role of housing in the spread
of TB was looked into. The overall atmosphere in these colonies is depressive
and gloomy owing to lack of light and ventilation. When one contracts TB, the
medication and its side effects also cause depression.”
Dr. Singh said
most families had to keep tube lights and fans switched on throughout the day
as the houses grew dark and stuffy. A luxmeter was used to measure brightness
and illumination in homes, and ventilation was assessed using an anenometer,
which measures the speed of wind.
Dr. Peehu
Pardeshi said 40% of the total households were sampled for the TB survey. She
said, “It was not easy to convince people to talk to us. We had to offer them a
dental check-up voucher worth ₹500 as an incentive.”
Researchers from
the Center for Urban Science Engineering in IIT Bombay, who assisted in the
survey, said the recommendations made by the study should serve as a reference
point for future rehabilitation projects. Professor Ronita Bardhan said, “This
tells us that housing designing plays a role in increasing or decreasing the
probability of incidence of TB. Even in low-cost redevelopment, certain
architectural changes and measures can go a long way in curbing diseases. Indonesia
has a similar social housing project. It is a successful example with good
ventilation and better quality of living.”
The study has
brought in focus big redevelopment projects in the Bombay Development
Directorate chawls in Naigaon, Sewri, N.M. Joshi Marg and Worli. The
researchers said if these rehabilitation units were also designed like the ones
in Mankhurd and Govandi, then they would also end up being breeding grounds for
the TB bacteria. The people in the M East Ward were accommodated in seven-storeyed
buildings. The residents of BDD chawls are proposed to be moved into flats in
22-storeyed buildings.
The study has
increased apprehension regarding redevelopment projects in posh areas like
Worli, which is home to the affluent and has premium housing. Dr. Singh said,
“All we should ensure is that the poor should not be accommodated in structures
that lack such basic facilities.”
In his research,
Dr. Singh has cited examples such as a study conducted in Birmingham, which
found out that the spread of TB increasing during the winter season as there
was less exposure to sunlight. Another study conducted in Peru found an
association between the incidence of TB and factors like crowding of the
houses, hours of sunlight exposure and vitamin D deficiency.
The DFU study
was funded by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Environmental Improvement Society,
a body set up by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/bad-design-of-sra-buildings-led-to-spread-of-tb/article23506423.ece
