The chaos unfolding across India in recent days has spelled out that for the 74 million people -- one sixth of the population -- who live cheek by jowl in the country's slums, social distancing is going to be physically and economically impossible.
New Delhi For two days, Jeetender Mahender, a 36-year-old Dalit sanitation worker, has dared not leave his family's shanty in the Valmiki slum of northern Mumbai, India, except to go to the toilet.
His situation is desperate. The tiny home has no running water or toilet, his family is low on food -- and when he doesn't go to work, he doesn't get paid. Mahender is trying to comply with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 21-day nationwide lockdown, intended to help stop coronavirus spreading further among the country's 1.3 billion people. India has recorded 1,024 cases and 27 deaths.
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