Dharavi Slum

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Definition of a slum: an illegal settlement on government land.

Dharavi is Asia’s largest slum - lies on prime property right in the middle of India’s financial capital, Mumbai and was founded in 1882 at the time of the British Raj. During the 18th century unplanned localities started to grow when the urbanisation of Mumbai was occurring.

A slum does not mean poverty – in fact the people who live in Dharavi consider that those people who live on the streets are the ones who live in poverty – life is so much harder for them. My own ideas of poverty were challenged when I went to India. I expected to find undernourished very unhealthy conditions and sick/dying people. I found the unhealthy conditions, however, I did not expect to see vibrant people, high employment in their own businesses and healthy, happy, well dressed school children attending one of two schools that are in the slum. I certainly did not expect to find a hospital. Neither did I expect to find a supermarket nor a gym (I gleaned this bit of information from our guide).

The slum faces a lot of problems like noise, water and air pollution: it also has no proper sewage or drainage system. Every day the potter’s brick kilns send huge clouds of rancid black smoke into the air – the nearby hospital complains about the heavy smoke which worsens the patient’s conditions!

Dharavi processes plastic both from the domestic market and the international market. Plastic for recycling is stored in large quantities on the roof tops. I shudder to think about a fire here…..

The slum has a lot of toxic waste, including dangerous heavy metals. Workmen were standing barefoot in chemical dyes, (their skin permanently stained), and several businesses used dangerous chemicals for processing e.g. leather tanning, plastic recycling etc. The fine dust from the breaking down process of the plastic would be constantly inhaled but the men wore no masks nor protective clothing.

Some facts: - Dharavi is only one of at least 2000 slums in Mumbai and is spread over 1 square

mile (535 acres)- Home to 1.2 million people although statistics unreliable. - 55% of all Mumbai residents live in slums- A city within a city, it is one unending stretch of narrow, dirty lanes, open sewers and

is one of the most intensely settled areas in the world- Has a very large number (home to about 5,000 businesses and 15,000 single room

factories that produce embroidered garments, export quality leather goods, pottery, bakery, soap factory, recycling and plastics – goods sold on both domestic and international markets. Recycling accounts for approximately 55,000 jobs in Dharavi

- The annual turnover of business is estimated to be more than $665m- When walking through the residential spaces, you can feel a sense of the community

spirit that seems to exist. The adults and children alike, appear happy and smiling and looking out for each other. The walk is quite an adventure!

- People from all over India live here and this diversity is apparent in the temples, mosques and churches that stand literally side by side. Approximately 60% of the population is Hindu, 33% Muslim and 6% Christian

Hygiene matters:- Only about 1% of houses have a toilet – one public toilet shared by approximately

100 people- Public toilets are used on average 1500 times a day- Very overcrowded living quarters- Lack of sanitation, ventilation and light, with no planning for housing/shelter, no

recognisable safety standards- 2 hours of running water daily- Open sewers in living areas with ‘fresh’ water pipes resting in them- Uneven walkways and electrical wiring hanging at head height- Diseases: main cause of death from infectious disease is Tuberculosis, followed by

diphtheria, typhoid and cholera.

Overall as great experience. The company was good, the food was tasty and the heat was, in general, a bit much at times