Spatial and temporal impacts on socio-economic conditions in the Yangon slums

Informal settlements house millions of poor urban dwellers in developing countries. Although many studies have been conducted on urban poverty in other developing countries, there has been little research conducted in Myanmar. The country was isolated from the rest of the world for many decades and only reopened its doors in 2011, so there is insufficient data for social policy makers. There have been some studies on the informal settlements in Yangon, but these are qualitative and focus on issues in specific settlements;therefore, there is academic space to explore the Yangon slums in their totality to assess their socio-economic conditions quantitatively. This study aimed to provide quantitative analyses of the socio-economic conditions of Yangon informal settlements, particularly regarding their variations in terms of formation according to the timeline of Myanmar's political regimes. The results indicate that the main socio-economic conditions of Yangon's slums differ depending on the time of settlement. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the microbial quality of an urban water catchment and the associated probability of waterborne infections.

The World Health Organization reported that COVID-19 cases reached 611,421,786 globally by September 23, 2022. Six months after the first reported case, the disease had spread rapidly, reaching pandemic status, leading to numerous preventive measures to curb the spread, including a complete shutdown of many activities worldwide. Such restrictions affected services like waste management, resulting in waste accumulation in many communities and increased water pollution. Therefore, the current study investigated if lockdown impacted surface water microbial quality within an urban water catchment in South Africa. Using quantitative microbial risk assessment, the study further assessed changes in the probability of infection (Pi) with gastrointestinal illnesses from exposure to polluted water in the catchment. Escherichia coli data for 2019, 2020 and 2021 - pre-COVID, lockdown, and post-lockdown periods, respectively - were collected from the area's wastewater treatment management authorities. The Pi was determined using a beta-Poisson model. Mean overall E. coli counts ranged from 2.93 ± 0.16 to 5.30 ± 1.07 Log10 MPN/100 mL. There was an overall statistically significant increase in microbial counts from 2019 to 2021. However, this difference was only accounted for between 2019 and 2021 (p = 0.008); the increase was insignificant between 2019 and 2020, and 2020 and 2021. The Pi revealed a similar trend for incidental ingestion of 100 mL and 1 mL of polluted water. No statistically significant difference was observed between the years based on multiple exposures. Although the overall microbial load and Pi estimated within the catchment exceeded the local and international limits recommended for safe use by humans, especially for drinking and recreation, these were not significantly affected by the COVID-19 restrictions. Nevertheless, these could still represent a health hazard to immunocompromised individuals using such water for personal and household hygiene, especially in informal settlements without access to water and sanitation services.

The Gender-Poverty-Mobility Nexus and the Post-Pandemic Era in South Africa

As part of long-term comparative research into the Gauteng City-Region, this article presents mixed-methods studies in the informal settlement of Denver, located in the industrial belt southeast of Johannesburg's city center. It unpacks the results of focus groups, ethnographic and expert interviews, as well as mapping with an innovative smartphone tracking application, comparing everyday life for several households in this area before the pandemic in 2019 and during the pandemic in 2020. Findings show that the pandemic exacerbated the disproportionate burdens related to gendered roles of household management, childcare, and mobility, both on the macro- as well as the micro-scale. The article thus defines the "gender-poverty-mobility nexus" that shapes space and everyday life in the Gauteng City-Region, precluding places like Denver from overcoming their marginality. Post-pandemic planning policy could be transformative for such spaces if it can build on this knowledge to better identify the needs of these vulnerable social groups and connect them to opportunities. It concludes with suggestions on how these empirically revealed dynamics could be translated into responses on the urban and regional scales, in the name of more equitable, resilient planning futures for Johannesburg and beyond.

Innovation during COVID-19 Pandemic: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Informal Settlements

This paper explores informal settlements’ innovations in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. Water, sanitation, and hygiene are important aspects that can reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, the water and sanitation conditions in densely populated informal settlements tend to be sub-standard, and residents must often rely on shared facilities. Previous research has generally explored innovation on a macro scale, whereas this research is local. This paper explores four elements of innovation: form, actor, conflict, and regulation, to study social innovations in six urban villages in Bandung City, Indonesia. This study found that innovations during the COVID-19 pandemic have generally been in the form of arrangements for using shared facilities and providing handwashing facilities. A mix of actors comprised the community, village/sub-district officers, the COVID-19 task force, and other community organizations, highlighting the importance of combining a bottom-up and top-down approach to social innovations. However, a lack of rules and the institutionalization of innovations, perceived getting better conditions, scheduling, and funding prevented the long-term success of the innovations. The paper develops policy recommendations for the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector based on these findings. © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press

Status and view toward COVID-19 and mental health among vulnerable group: A cross-sectional rapid survey among rickshaw pullers of Bangladesh

Bangladesh has experienced the hardest coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impact on the socioeconomic sector. The underprivileged group, rickshaw pullers, faced extreme situations due to the pandemic. This rapid cross-sectional study was conducted among 190 rickshaw pullers of Dhaka city. Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) survey was carried out to evaluate their view and COVID-19 response level. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Statistical analyses such as Kruskal–Wallis or Mann–Whitney U tests, Spearman’s rank correlation, the linear regression model, Chi-square test, and Fisher’s exact test were performed where appropriate. The majority of them rated the high impact of COVID-19 on their income and mental health. Age, living with family, accommodation type, income, and COVID-19 infection history were found as associating factors with these impacts. A large number of the study population demonstrated low knowledge level (42.63 percent), moderate attitude level (57.37 percent), and moderate practice level (58.95 percent) toward COVID-19 and the vaccination. Positive attitude could reduce their mental health concern due to the pandemic. The study population mostly used their surrounding people as the main source of COVID-19 information. However, digital media have played a crucial role to disseminate authentic information. Ensuring better socioeconomic conditions can help these highly vulnerable people to be effectively prepared and respond against the pandemic. © 2022 Weston Medical Publishing. All rights reserved.

Resilience in a Kenyan informal settlement during the COVID-19 pandemic

Informal settlements have been identified as locations both where the spread of COVID-19 has generally been slower than within the Global North and measures to restrain the pandemic have further intensified local peoples’ marginality as income decreases without welfare or financial safety nets. In this paper, qualitative fieldwork is detailed which commenced in Korogocho, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, immediately prior to national COVID-19 restrictions. This March 2020, pre-COVID phase of the fieldwork focused on a community-based project and the basis for resilience in transforming local lives. During the next 12 months of the pandemic fieldwork continued, exploring experiences and reactions to restraining policies. These findings reinforce concerns about the impact of COVID-19 related restrictions on marginalised peoples’ income, food security, health, safety and gender-based violence. How the local people reacted to these effects highlights their creative resilience and adaptability. The paper concludes by examining the impact of, and responses to, the controlling measures on the social relationships and cohesion that underpins the community resilience. © 2021, Sun Media. All rights reserved.

Modeling a Pandemic (COVID-19) Management Strategy for Urban Slums Using Social Geometry Framework.

The purpose of this paper is to utilize social geometry framework to model a pandemic (COVID-19) management strategy in densely populated informal settlements in Kenya. Our central claim is that the containment strategy that was instituted to control spread of COVID-19 failed to recognize the socio-cultural and livelihood complexities of the urban slum residents. This unmitigated strategy predisposed the residents to risks of heightened transmission of the pandemic. Drawing on social geometry approach in the analysis of human relations, we reveal some insights offered by our experiences in theorizing about public health intervention (PHI) and in doing so develop an alternative analytical framework ('social pendulum') to support the development of a PHI strategy that is compatible with the swing-like lifestyle of residents in the informal settlements. Our conclusion revisits the reliability and validity criteria for the new framework and offers some direction for further research.

Cet article a pour but d'utiliser un cadre de géométrie sociale pour modéliser une stratégie de gestion de la pandémie (COVID-19) dans les zones d'habitation informelles et densément peuplées au Kenya. Nous partons du principe que la stratégie d'endiguement qui a été mise en place pour contrôler la propagation de la COVID-19 n'a pas réussi à prendre la mesure de la complexité socioculturelle, ni celle des moyens de subsistance, des habitants des bidonvilles urbains. Cette stratégie indiscriminée a exposé les habitants à des risques accrus de transmission de la pandémie. Le modèle de géométrie sociale, au contraire, a la possibilité d'influencer la refonte d'une stratégie alternative d'intervention de santé publique qui serait compatible avec la configuration unique des moyens de subsistance dans les zones d'habitation informelles, configuration qui adopte des mouvements de pendule. Nous élaborons un cadre analytique (du «pendule social¼) en nous basant sur ce mode de vie, pour appuyer le développement d'une stratégie alternative d'intervention de santé publique. Dans notre conclusion, nous revisitons les critères de fiabilité et de validité du nouveau cadre et offrons une orientation pour les études à venir.

Pay-as-you-go liquefied petroleum gas supports sustainable clean cooking in Kenyan informal urban settlement during COVID-19 lockdown.

Approximately 2.8 billion people rely on polluting fuels (e.g. wood, kerosene) for cooking. With affordability being a key access barrier to clean cooking fuels, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), pay-as-you-go (PAYG) LPG smart meter technology may help resource-poor households adopt LPG by allowing incremental fuel payments. To understand the potential for PAYG LPG to facilitate clean cooking, objective evaluations of customers' cooking and spending patterns are needed. This study uses novel smart meter data collected between January 2018-June 2020, spanning COVID-19 lockdown, from 426 PAYG LPG customers living in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya to evaluate stove usage (e.g. cooking events/day, cooking event length). Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted in August 2020 to provide context for potential changes in cooking behaviours during lockdown. Using stove monitoring data, objective comparisons of cooking patterns are made with households using purchased 6 kg cylinder LPG in peri-urban Eldoret, Kenya. In Nairobi, 95% of study households continued using PAYG LPG during COVID-19 lockdown, with consumption increasing from 0.97 to 1.22 kg/capita/month. Daily cooking event frequency also increased by 60% (1.07 to 1.72 events/day). In contrast, average days/month using LPG declined by 75% during lockdown (17 to four days) among seven households purchasing 6 kg cylinder LPG in Eldoret. Interviewed customers reported benefits of PAYG LPG beyond fuel affordability, including safety, time savings and cylinder delivery. In the first study assessing PAYG LPG cooking patterns, LPG use was sustained despite a COVID-19 lockdown, illustrating how PAYG smart meter technology may help foster clean cooking access.