As every available nook and corner
on an already burdened earth sells
for sky-rocketing prices, the raging
issue of crowded cities,with,popu-
lation tearing at its seams, once
again takes centre stage. What have
the cities of today the world over
have to offer to its citizens?
Squalor, diseases, scarcity of food
and water, polluted air and violence to name just a few. "Healthy
Cities for Better Life" -the theme
chosen by the World Health
Organization (WHO) to commemorate the World Health Day on
April 7, '96 seeks to address the
issues at hand.
WHO's Healthy Cities programme basically covers two mandates -improving urban health
and mitigating environmental
problems. Intrinsic to its functioning is the idea ofpeoples' participation: what people contribute is
what people gain. A healthy city as
per WHO's guidelines would be
one which could provide a clean
and safe environment and meet the
basic needs of its citizens, among
other things.The current scenario
of urban cities is grim. And at the
bottom of such day-to-day stress is
the health of the city inhabitant
which has taken a beating like
never before. Said Uton Muchtar
Rafei, regional director, WHO's
South-east Asia region, on the eve
of the World Health Day, "The
phenomenal growth of urban populations, particularly in developing
countries, caUs for concerted and
urgent action to ensure healthyliving conditions."
One can take hope from the fact
that now a global network seems to
be emerging to make living conditions in cities a more healthier
prospect. The UN Centre for
Human Settlements, the UN Development Programme, the International Labour Organization and
the World Bank are gearing up
towards "Habitat II", the second
UN conference on Human Settlements to be held in June, where the
concept ofWHO's H,ealthy Cities
programme will come to the fore.
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