Health Dependence on Infrastructure and Environmental Factors

Health Dependence on Infrastructure and Environmental Factors

Summary

“To develop low-carbon cities of the future, carbon mitigation potential must be combined with quantitative analysis of other benefits and co-benefits, including energy security and public health, suited to the overall goals of society.”

Interventions for more sustainable urban infrastructure reserve the potential to increase the health of the public and the goal of having low carbon in the city. The paper sheds light on how much the civil infrastructures (energy, water, transport, sanitation) as well as the factors of the environment have a role on the health situation of Delhi. The method used to find out this question was by analyzing the data of the mortality rate of the citizens of the city, then compare them to the ratio and statistics of births, keeping in mind the ratio of height to weight to factor in malnutrition, the zoning areas, the exposure to pollution and the number of households that are equipped with the basic necessities that are needed to live a healthy a life.

The data of mortality coupled with primary survey results the opinions given by expert say that around 19% of all the deaths which occur in Delhi have one relation or the other to infrastructure.

The results of the study have concluded that

Heart Diseases & Heart Attacks which account for 14.7% of total deaths in Delhi, 25% might be related to infrastructure, out of which 25% could have been delayed or avoided.

Airborne Disease Pathogens which account for 5.7% of total deaths in Delhi, 25% might be related to infrastructure, out of which 25% could have been delayed or avoided

Diabetes which accounts for 4.3% of total deaths in Delhi) 35% might be related to e infrastructure, out of which 15% could have been delayed or avoided

Cancer which accounts for 2.85% of total deaths in Delhi) 25% might be related to infrastructure, out of which 15% could have been delayed or avoided

Transport Accidents which account for 1.4% of total deaths in Delhi) 100% might be related to infrastructure, out of which 15% could have been delayed or avoided

Waterborne Disease Pathogens which account for 0.7% of total deaths in Delhi) 50% to 100% might be related to infrastructure, out of which 25% could have been delayed or avoided

Research Question

The main goal for conducting this study is making an estimation of the outcome of health proportions which have a relation to the infrastructure so that it is possible to highlight if the outcomes of urban health might be a catalyst for the development of low carbon infrastructure in the cities.

Therefore, the city of Delhi in India is being used as a case study and main research question is 'how much does the environmental factors (e.g. water and air quality) and civil infrastructure (i.e., sanitation, energy, water, building infrastructures and transport) which are linked to such infrastructures have an influence on the present urban health outcomes in the cities of the ...