An Insight into the Makeover of the World’s Largest Slum – Dharavi
The biggest slum on earth. One million people crammed into only 100,000 crumbling houses. 80 individuals using one restroom together. An area region that fosters entrepreneurship and enterprise. An area where the informal economy boosts India’s GDP by about $1 billion and where the literacy rate is 69% or above.
What you may term a contradiction is Dharavi.
Soon, Dharavi will be demolished. Over the next 17 years, the slum will probably be replaced by tall structures, opulent shopping centres, and glass-walled office complexes. New houses will be provided for their inhabitants.
History of Dharavi
Not always, Dharavi was located in the centre of Mumbai. because Mumbai (Bombay) was unique at the time. Southern Bombay saw the majority of urban growth during the British East India Company’s rule. The majority of the residents of Dharavi, which was situated at the northernmost point, worked in cotton mills and tanneries. Opportunities to find work increased. Migrants from the countryside kept making their way to Dharavi. Squatters and the original leaseholders shared a home. The slum then started to take shape. The British left the locals to fend for themselves since they did not reinvest the spoils of their loot in enhancing the infrastructure. There is no administrative help. No preparation. No investment, either.
In the 90s
By the middle of the 1990s, Dharavi was situated between an international financial area and an airport.
Naturally, these events didn’t make the government happy. They disapproved of the slums and the fact that residents resided on public property. But they couldn’t just level everything and abandon the residents without housing.
They had to choose a medium ground. The Maharashtra government established a committee in 1995 and asked, “What can we do about the slums?”
After reviewing the situation, the committee decided to begin “in-situ” rehabilitation. Getting a private builder to take over the slum was the plan. They would ask the locals to move here and construct multi-story housing there, clearing space and releasing great real estate.
Consequently, the Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA) was established in 1995.
The issues from the legal point of view were overwhelming. The locals also voiced opposition. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) performed a survey in 2009 and discovered that just 37% of Dharavi’s inhabitants could establish that they had lived there for the required amount of time. In the rehabilitation programme, only they qualified for new dwellings. Others weren’t, though. People were worried about losing their only house.
Status Quo
When the ball had set rolling in 2019 once again after a pause for more than a decade when a UAE-based developer won the bid. However, it was at this moment when the Government of India acknowledged their very colossal mistake of not having considered including railway land and thus needing to start the tender process all over again. Unfortunately, later on, with a change in the government, this tender was scrapped≥
So, to no surprise then, Dharavi didn’t get a facelift. And nobody believed it would ever occur. Until now when it appears like Adani will be the one to start the process off.
Currently, the new project appears to be a smart idea on the surface. People will be able to escape those claustrophobic living conditions. They’ll be able to call somewhere on their own. Everyone in India wants to move up in life.
In Dharavi, nobody knows what kind of houses or amenities to anticipate. Even their chance of receiving homes in the neighbourhood itself is unknown. Keep in mind that these are folks who own companies in Dharavi. And 80 per cent of the people live and work in Dharavi. Concerns about how this may impact people’s lives are widespread.
Factors Not Being Considered
Based on a survey conducted by Dr Bardhan at the University of Cambridge, the households that were included in the Slum Rehabilitation Housing (SRH) Scheme were spending 40% of their earned income on electricity.
Merely because the number of AC owners had significantly increased. If you believe that people in Mumbai are to blame for purchasing air conditioners, think again. Well, not quite yet. After installing temperature sensors inside the homes, the researcher discovered that the interiors were 10 °C warmer than the exterior. Residents were compelled to purchase air conditioners.
And it goes beyond that. In the slums, communal cooking takes place in open areas. But now they were each preparing meals in their respective homes. Their revenue is severely reduced as a result of the sharp increase in fuel use.
The issue of health is another. You see, these developers and builders aren’t selling the houses. The money is not in the rehabilitation; they are doing it. As a result, the majority of apartments lack adequate ventilation. Furthermore, when you cook inside, the particulate matter is kept inside the house for a long time. 2.5 hours or more. And those consequences can be negative.
Additionally, several of these SRHs receive no sunshine. Additionally, they have turned into breeding grounds for tuberculosis, which India hopes to eradicate by 2025.
Even one’s mental health suffers. For instance, survey results showed that 60% of Mumbai’s SRH residents said they felt lonely. This percentage was barely 17% in slum areas. You might assume that these slums depend heavily on their tight-knit communities.
Conclusion
Perhaps owning an apartment in a tall building is as glamorous as people make it out to be. Perhaps the locals have some reason to be concerned about the future.
We can only pray that the residents of Dharavi do not suffer the same fate for the time being. We pray that redevelopment won’t steal their lives and means of subsistence. We also hope that it won’t destroy its thriving $1 billion economy.
Progress is positive. But let’s hope it’s done inclusively.
