A government report reveals that people in 49,000 slums around India still live in pathetic conditions. According to the report prepared by the National Sample Survey office (NSSO) “About 49 thousand slums were estimated to be in existence in urban India in 2008-09 - 24 percent of them were located along nallahs and drains and 12 percent along railway lines”  

During the monsoons people living in these slums faced miserable conditions as about 48 percent of the slums were usually affected by waterlogging.

The NSSO report titled 'Some Characteristics of Urban Slums, 2008-09', however, says that there has been some improvement due to government initiated programmes. “Latrines with septic tanks (or similar facility) were available in 68 percent notified and 47 percent non-notified slums (up from 66 percent and 35 percent respectively in 2002),” says the report.

According to the r about 73 percent notified and 58 percent non-notified slums had a motorable approach road. It also found that in 64 percent of notified slums, a majority of dwellings were pucca, the corresponding percentage for non-notified ones being 50 percent.

Read the report.