By IANS,
New Delhi : Construction work due to the Commonwealth Games was adding slum clusters to the existing ones and due to this the overall health condition in the city would deteriorate, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday.
“Construction related to the Commonwealth Games is bringing in migrants from outside Delhi and adding good amount of slums in the city,” A.K. Sengupta, the national professional officer, sustainable development and healthy environment, WHO, warned.
“Unless we manage them, it will deteriorate health conditions in the city,” Sengupta told IANS on the sidelines of an event at WHO’s regional office here.
Nearly 30 percent of Delhiites live in slums and the increasing number of slums and migrants requires better planning so that urban health is managed properly, authorities said.
Sengupta said the same thing happened during the 1982 Asian Games.
Tens of thousands of migrant labourers are currently in Delhi to carry out construction works related to the mega sporting event Oct 3-14. They are staying in illegal colonies, in places adjacent to construction sites and on pavements.
“New slums are coming up,” he said.
As per official records, Delhi has over 1,500 slums that house millions of people living without proper sanitation and hygiene.
“Health and hygiene is a concern. It needs to be taken care well,” Sengupta added.
WHO officials said Delhi’s environment was also not so clean but were optimistic that once the construction works are over, things will improve.
Abdul Sattar, a director in the WHO southeast Asia office, said the UN’s health agency believed that the government would take appropriate steps. “I hope some of these migrants will return to their home states.”