Slums

When people here the words slum they think of the cities in India that have poor standards of living.  A slum is defined when a city has massive amounts of pollution, insecure tenure, inadequate infrastructures, over crowding, and poor housings.  Many of theses areas are so poor that they become shanti towns.  Over 78 percent of the worlds urban population is living in the slums.  That is eight of every ten people!  


In many slums, especially in poor countries, many live in very narrow alleys that do not allow vehicles (like ambulances and fire trucks) to pass. The lack of services such as routine garbage collection allows rubbish to accumulate in huge quantities. The lack of infrastructure is caused by the informal nature of settlement and no planning for the poor by government officials. Additionally, informal settlements often face the brunt of natural and man-made disasters, such as landslides, as well as earthquakes and tropical storms. Fires are often a serious problem.[16]
Many slum dwellers employ themselves in the informal economy. This can include street vending, drug dealing, domestic work, and prostitution. In some slums people even recycle trash of different kinds (from household garbage to electronics) for a living - selling either the odd usable goods or stripping broken goods for parts or raw materials.
Slums are often associated with Victorian Britain, particularly in industrial, northern towns. These were generally still inhabited until the 1940s, when the government started slum clearance and built new council houses. There are still many examples left of former slum housing in the UK, however they have generally been restored into more modern housing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slum

The true side of life in the slums where showed by an indie movie "Slumdog Millionaire." It was about a young boy who goes on the famous show 'Who wants to be a millionaire.'  He ends up answer all the questions on the show right.  Most of the India society is suprised by this notion because this is a young man who grew up in the slums.  The show thinks he is cheating and he becomes questioned.  The movie shows how he received all the answers through growing up in the slums of India.  The movie was originate from the same as the book.  The movie portrayed the poor lifstyle that is partaking in India and other countries today.