The environmental problems in slum areas are:
(i) Slums are more differentiated in terms of the socio-economic, político-cultural and other indicators of development than any other areas.
(a) At the top, there are farm houses and high income group localities characterised by well-developed urban infrastructures like wide roads, street lights, water and sanitation facilities, lawns, well-developed urban infrastructures like wide roads, street lights, water and sanitation facilities, lawns, well-developed green belt, parks, playgrounds and provisions for individual security and right to privacy.
(b) At the other extreme are the 'slums', jhuggi-jhopri clusters and colonies of shanty structures.
They are inhabited by those people who were forced to migrate from rural areas to these urban centres in search of livelihood but could not afford proper housing due to high rent and high costs of land.
They occupy highly unhygienic environment and degraded areas.
(ii) Slums are residential areas of the least choice, dilapidated houses, poor hygienic conditions, poor ventilation, lack of basic amenities like drinking water, light, toilet facilities etc.
(a) They are overcrowded having narrow street pattern prone to serious hazards like fire.