Maya Khodve is an activist, videographer and Community Correspondent, who lives in a Nashik slum. Nashik Slum has seen some improvements in recent years as India is developing, such as much improved electricity and gutters - the latter being installed in part because of pressure from one of her videos. Yet, toilets and running water are yet to be installed…

Maya Khodve

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The Coronavirus pandemic has hit the poor the hardest. Video Volunteers community correspondent Maya Khodve reports from Nashik, Maharashtra on how people living in slums are coping with the pandemic amid lack of a functioning drainage system, filthy public toilets, breeding insects and many other problems. Not to mention the lack of jobs amid rising numbers of people infected with the deadly virus, the slum dwellers wonder how they would survive these testing times.

Video Volunteers correspondent Maya interviewed residents who highlighted that the public toilets have not been cleaned for a long time. This, when research has proven that the Coronavirus can survive in human excreta for up to three days.

Residents also highlight that overflowing drains and a non-functioning drainage system leads to many insects breeding and spreading infections. The houses are smaller and very close to each other. Lack of social distancing spreads infections fast and wide. 

If the administration had spent a fraction of the money they spent on spreading 'awareness' about preventing COVID-19, the slum dwellers would be better protected against diseases.