Contrastin Urban Environments: Mumbai

Question 1

Where is Mumbai?

Answer 1

On the West coast of India by the Arabian Sea, in the Maharashtra region, of which it is the capital

Question 2

What are the area and population of Mumbai?

Answer 2

4355km2

12.442 million

Question 3

How far is Mumbai from the capital city?

Answer 3

1000km from New Delhi

Question 4

By how much has Mumbai grown relatively since 1950?

Answer 4

From the 19th largest city globally (1950) to the 2nd largest (2010)

Question 5

What is the climate of Mumbai like?

Answer 5

Tropical (25-30 degrees)
Rainy Summer season
Dry October-April

Question 6

What is the relief of Mumbai like?

Answer 6

Very flat

Only Sanjay Ghandi Park and Chembur East significantly above sea level

Question 7

What is Mumbai’s GDP?

Answer 7

US$368bn

Question 8

What is the GDP of India as a whole and, more importantly, what fraction of this did Mumbai contribute?

Answer 8

US$2.112tn

17%

Question 9

How do the earnings of the top 10% in Mumbai compare to those of the bottom 10%?

Answer 9

370 times more earned by the rich

37,000%

Question 10

How much of the city’s wealth is held by the top 10%? How much by the top 1%?

Answer 10

75%

50%

Question 11

What proportion of Mumbai’s population live in slums?

Answer 11

45%

Question 12

Which part of the city holds the largest percentage of slum dwellers?

Answer 12

The East, primarily the South East

Question 13

How many public toilets in poor areas of Mumbai have access to water?

Answer 13

14%

Question 14

How many households in the poor regions of the city have access to piped water? What is the average?

Answer 14

Poor: 1/6
Citywide: 50.7%

Question 15

What is the major issue with healthcare in Mumbai?

Answer 15

Hospitals and healthcare centres are unevenly distributed
Traffic congestion means accessing these centres is difficult
Hospitals far from slums

Question 16

How many vehicles are driven on average in Mumbai?

Answer 16

4 million

Question 17

What issue do residents of the Northern suburbs face?

Answer 17

Burning of waste in the municipal garbage dump producing 10 times the WHO safe limit of particulate air pollution

Question 18

What are the water pollution issues in Mumbai?

Answer 18

Standing water
Toilets feed directly into rivers 
Landfill sites found on/next to waterways 
Funeral pyres swept into river
Industrial sludge disposed of in rivers

Question 19

What has water pollution meant for slum dwellers in Mumbai?

Answer 19

Dirty water spreads cholera and dysentery easily

Standing water provides breeding ground for mosquitoes

Question 20

Why is dereliction not a major issue in Mumbai?

Answer 20

The large number of illegal squatters means that abandoned buildings are quickly claimed

Question 21

What is an issue with dereliction?

Answer 21

Abandoned buildings occupied by squatters may be unstable or unsafe

Question 22

What was the major challenge of Mumbai’s physical environment?

Answer 22

It originally consisted of 7 islands, which have since been joined by reclaiming land from the sea

Question 23

What has Mumbai’s foundation meant for it’s citizens?

Answer 23

They are at high risk from flooding, particularly the squatters who live in unsafe land near rivers and coast

Question 24

In what 3 ways have Mumbai authorities attempted to combat water pollution?

Answer 24

Closing down practices which are illegally dumping waste
Establish an official waste collection system
Hire unemployed citizens to clean and maintain the rivers

Question 25

How else could Mumbai’s water be improved?

Answer 25

Building sewers and treatment plants
Building public toilets
Setting up rubbish collection systems
Dredging the river

Question 26

What has been done to combat air pollution in Mumbai?

Answer 26

20km electric monorail 
Encouraging bicycle use 
Increasing chimney heights and adding filters 
Building offshore wind farms 
Fitting green rooves 
Building more high rise buildings

Question 27

List the benefits of the Monorail

Answer 27

Accommodates 19,000 passengers daily
Reduces emissions and traffic congestion
Does not burn fossil fuel
Operates quietly

Question 28

What is India doing which will improve Mumbai’s environment?

Answer 28

Encourage solar power use by lowering the tariffs

Investing in battery technology

Question 29

What makes Mumbai a cultural hub?

Answer 29

All major world religions are practiced
Many languages are spoken, including some unique to Mumbai
Global festivals are celebrated
Home of Bollywood film industry

Question 30

How is Mumbai perceived by developed nations?

Answer 30

Dirty and undesirable, full of slums

Question 31

How is Mumbai perceived by Indians?

Answer 31

Good place to work

Affluent industrial centre