Final Draft

Garcia 1

Bianca Garcia

November 8, 2011

Ms. Jaeger

World Geography

Slums

   There has been little or no emphasis on slums, but this is a problem that has increased through the years. A slum is a run-down area of a city characterized by poor housing and a lack of security. Slums effect human population around the world by having unhealthy sanitation, the people that live in slums are only there because of the cheap cost, and consequently they are vulnerable to being a victim of wide spread diseases. Furthermore, slums contain unhealthy sanitation.

Undoubtedly, slums contain so much filth and disgust, that it is unhealthy for people. Nil Blythe states, "There are public toilets and water taps, but sanitation is poor with open sewers along the alleyways." (Blythe 3) Slums are covered in trash and dangerous chemicals that can cause harm to slum residents. Everywhere people look, all they see is trash. Not only is the trash unhealthy, it is also a terrifying site. Even though many people have to worry about their health, they do not have to worry as much about their finances. 
On the contrary, it is not expensive to live in a slum. According to Elisabeth Eaves, "After all, nearly all of the residents are there by choice (many, in fact, pay some ort of rent), so they themselves think they are better off. " (Eaves 4) Living in a slum is cheap; usually people live there because it does not cost a lot of money. In fact, some of the slum residents live there not because they have to, but because they want to. Since money is not a problem, many people move there without having to worry about their finances. Not having to constantly worry about this can have a huge benefit for them. While money is
 

Garcia 2

not a big issue, diseases are.

Consequently, diseases are very common in slums. Sheri Fink states, "Human waste leaches into the water people drink and contaminates the food they eat. It carries typhoid and other diseases that can be deadly, especially to young children." (Fink 2) Due to the filthy condition they are in, many people receive diseases. Though they may feel like one piece of trash cannot harm them, they are wrong. Every piece of trash makes a huge difference that can cause a person to receive diseases. Through all of these problems, slums are a huge asset in human population. 

There has been little or no emphasis on slums, but this is a problem that has increase through the years. Slums effect human population around the world by having unhealthy sanitation, the people that live in slums are only there because of the cheap cost, and consequently they are vulnerable to being a victim of wide spread diseases. Everywhere the slum residents look, they see trash. It is unfortunate that the low cost of living in the slums attracts people. Also, diseases are extremely common among the people living in slums. In the end, they pay the ultimate price; their life.