Malnourishment is not linked to food alone. Lack of space and sanitation is stunting children in Delhi’s slums.
On the northern fringes of Delhi, if you get off the last stop of the yellow metro line at Jahangirpuri, and ride for half an hour on one buttock in a packed auto with two dozen people, you will see what first appears to be a giant mountain. As your auto wobbles and people start to get off, you will notice birds hovering above it and get a whiff of its ripe stench. It’s not until you get closer that you realise you are staring at a mammoth landfill, 22 meters high, growing at 2,200 tonnes each day, which provides a backdrop for the entire Bhalswa resettlement area.
The people of Bhalswa were forcefully evacuated from various parts of Delhi during a beautification drive in the years 2000-02. They were promised modern amenities. But it was this slushy wasteland, bordering on this landfill that they were finally dropped into in truckloads.
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