Over Crowding

Health Hygiene & Sanitation

Lesson 14 : Housing Standards

Over Crowding

  • What is it?

    • Overcrowding refers to the situation in which more people are living within a single dwelling than there is space for, so that movement is restricted, privacy, hygiene, rest and sleep difficult.

  • Effects of overcrowding on health-

    • In general the risks as infectious diseases spread rapidly under conditions of overcrowding.

    • The effects on psychosocial health ,irritability, frustration, lack of sleep, anxiety, violence and mental disorders.
    • Children are said to be more affected.

Grading of overcrowding

  • Based on person per room
  • Based on floor space area
  • Based on sex separation

Based on Persons per room

Acceptable norm is –

1 room – 2 person
2 rooms – 3 person
3 rooms – 5 person
4 rooms – 7 person
5 or more rooms – 10 (addl. 2 for each room)

Based on Floor Space…

Accepted standards are :

  • 110 sq. ft. (11 m2) or more -- 2 persons
  • 90-100 sq. ft. (9 – 10 m2) -- 1 ½ persons
  • 70-90 sq. ft. (7 – 9 m2) -- 1 person
  • 50-70 sq. ft. (5 – 7 m2) -- ½ person
  • Under 50 sq. ft (< 5 m2) -- nil
  • (A baby under 12 months is not counted; children between 1 to 10 counted as half a unit)

  • Sex Seperation : Overcrowding is considered to exist if 2 persons over 9 years of age, not husband and wife, of opposite sexes are obliged to sleep in the same room.

Indicators of housing

Indicators of house are a guide of quality of house. They include –

  1. Physical: These are based on floor space, cubic space, room height, persons per room, rooms per dwelling, environmental quality (e.g. air, light, water, noise, sewage disposal, etc)

  2. Economic indicators: These are cost of the building, rental levels, taxes, expenditure on housing, etc.

  3. Social indicators: include -

    1. Indicators related to prevention of illness :

      • Frequency of illness due to inadequate sewage and garbage collection.
      • Frequency of illness associated with contaminated water source.
      • Frequency of insect borne diseases
      • Frequency of illness due to overcrowding
      • Frequency of illness due to accidents.
      • Frequency of illness due to proximity to animals.
      • Access to medical facility.

    2. Indicators related to comfort

      • Thermal comfort
      • Acoustic comfort
      • Visual comfort
      • Spatial comfort

    3. Indicators related to mental health and social well-being:

      • Frequency of suicides in the neighborhood
      • Neglected and abandoned youth in the neighborhood
      • Drug abuse (including alcohol) in the neighborhood
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Last modified: Monday, 23 April 2012, 12:59 PM