Housing:
Housing is an important component of healthy environment. Probably you are aware that housing conditions for the vast majority of people in India are not up to the standard for a healthy living. Villages have hardly any lavatories, and drainage being poor, they are sarrounded by pools of uncleangenn-infected water. As more and more people move to the cities, the problem of housing becomes acute and a large.percentage of people live in slums or on the street without shelter. Poor housing by itself does not cause disease, but it does contribute to spread of infections and ill health. A house should be sunny and well ventilated to ensure gentle movement of fresh air throughout the area. Proper ventilation reduces the concentration of micro-organisms to a safe level. Communicable diseases, such as lung infections, diphtheria, whooping cough and tuberculosis are often associated with poor housing. In closed rooms, the concentration of micro-organisms builds up rapidly and thus the risk of the spread of infection increases. ~am~ness and moisture also help in the spread of these diseases. A house should be kept free of pests such as rats, mice, cockroaches, ants, houseflies and mosquitoes because they are carriers of harmful germs.