Spatial distribution of housing and household amenities:a district level analysis, Odisha

Abstract

Housing and availability of household amenities is considered to be the most valuable economic asset and is an important indicator of lifestyle and socio-economic status. Though we are in the path of 60yrs of independence, majority of people have been deprived of standard housing, without access to basic minimum facilities of drinking water, sanitation and public hygiene etc which requires utmost attention. The access to basic amenities like electricity, drinking water, toilet facility, clean fuels etc are the determinants of quality of life. Access to basic amenities varies in accordance with the size, categories of cities and towns except for toilet and sanitation. The access to basic amenities like electricity, drinking water, toilet facility and clean fuel are critical determinants of quality of life in most of the developing countries like India. As per 2011 census, 13% of households have no access to electricity, 16% have no access to safe drinking water and 17% have no access to toilet facility. This paper attempts to study the availability of housing and household amenities in the 30 districts comprising both of urban and rural areas. Subsequently, this study categorizes all 30 districts as low, medium and high using a composite score.