Life in Calcutta Calcutta had a population of 12.5 million people in 2001. In 2001, also, it changed its name from Calcutta to Kolkata. The city is made up of extremes. A very rich Central Business District with high rise offices and lots of wealth and also some of the poorest living conditions in the world. This picture shows us one of the main streets in the city. It is bustling with wealth and business.

A Wealthy City Many people visit Kolkata and stay in its many hotels. This slide shows a five star hotel built on the outskirts of the city. In Nov ’05 it was booked out and had no rooms to let. There was no mention anywhere on the website of the cost of a room for one night. What do you think?

Transport The city has a chaotic transport system in places. This picture shows a street in a market area of the city. The shops show no sign of any planning and many markets exist on the footpaths. The traffic is jammed and most of the vehicles are quite old.

Transport This picture is also from the outskirts of the city. Notice that the buildings are all one storey and they are made from very light materials. Many people are walking and again the age of the cars is much older that what we would be used to seeing here in Ireland.

Transport The city has a chaotic transport system in places. This picture shows a street in a market area of the city. The shops show no sign of any planning and many markets exist on the footpaths. The traffic is jammed and most of the vehicles are quite old.

Calcutta – the other side Yet Calcutta has another side to the city. It is a story of some of the worst living conditions in the world. Here one can see that the houses are made of cardboard, material and are raised on sticks. They are built on the banks of a river and are in constant danger of being flooded. They have no running water, electricity or sewage. Disease is rampant and there is a very high child mortality rate.

Life on the Streets Many people can not afford to live even in the houses on the previous slides and so are forced to live on the streets. Here one can see that the men and women have all their possessions with them on the street and are living out of plastic bags. They do not even have footwear. It is estimated that there are more than half a million people living rough on the streets of Calcutta.

The Children of Calcutta These children are also living on the streets. They do not have very many clothes and some find food and other things they need in the local dump. They live off the things that the rich people in Calcutta throw out. Many of the children have no families and have been abandoned because the family could not afford to keep them. Unfortunately a high number of them can be abused by adults.

The Hooghly River The Hooghly river is a distributary on the Ganges delta and Calcutta stretches for 64 km along it. The river is very polluted and yet it provides water for washing, drinking and transport of goods. Disease is rampant in the city. Due to the fact that most of the city is at sea level, flooding is a problem for millions. Only half of the city’s population are connected to the running water supply.

Attractions of Calcutta And yet, despite all the problems of the city, it still contains some very beautiful buildings that bring millions of tourists each year. Calcutta needs these tourists to bring money into the city. These problems can only be solved by an active government policy to provide adequate housing and water supply for all people.