Income, environment and health : A household level study of Aligarh City, India

In the developing countries, the rapid increase in urban population has created a serious threat to environmental conditions within living areas. Congested housing, poor bathroom and sanitation facilities, heaps of garbage, solid wastes and blocked drains among other things pose serious threats to the health and well-being of the people. In this paper an attempt has been made to throw light on household environmental conditions, their relationship to income and their effect on health in Aligarh City, India. One-hundred and twenty households belonging to different economic strata were surveyed. A close relationship between the income of the household and the types of diseases they suffer was observed. It was concluded that poverty was the main polluter.