ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RISKS IN URBAN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS, BOGOTÁ COLOMBIA

Abstract

Precarious settlements in the periphery of cities are a consequence of forced displacement and increasing poverty. Approximately eight million people in Colombia live in marginal conditions. Bogotá is one of the cities that receive the largest amount of displaced people and in its marginal neighborhoods the conditions of the internal environment of the housing and the neighborhood setting present multiple risk factors for the quality of life and health of the inhabitants. The objective of this article is to describe the housing conditions in a marginal neighborhood of Bogotá and the health of its inhabitants. For this purpose, a social characterization was carried out and environmental risk factors were identified. The results corroborate the fact that the neighborhood was formed by people displaced by violence from different Colombian regions, especially from rural areas. They arrive without economic assets, often without support networks and with a very low education level and little work experience, which limits their possibilities of finding jobs or forms of economic support. In general, the only options they find to generate income is through informal trades such as recycling, domestic activities and street vending. The housing environment in such urban informal settlements is adverse due to low temperatures, its location on steep terrain, and the lack of urban infrastructure and public service networks. The most recurrent health problems are respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, associated with inadequate housing and environmental conditions.