Urbanisation : Dharavi, India

Question 1

Causes :

No affordable housing options in the city

Answer 1

• Land is scarce in Mumbai, so land and property prices have increased, and are too expensive for 95% of the population to afford. Mumbai has the highest number of vacant housing ( 500,000 )
• People living in slums have a low average income. Average cost per square foot is ₹21,000, while average income per capita is ₹2.5 lakh / year.
• The Bombay Rents, Hotels, Lodgings House Rates Control Act ( 1947 ) means rents have been frozen at pre-1965 levels. Landlords have little incentive to rent out flats and so they remain vacant.

Question 2

Causes :

High rates of natural population increase

Answer 2

• Even though population growth rates are falling, the population is still large.
• Dharavi has roughly 1 million people living on 535 acres of land.

Question 3

Causes :

High rates of rural-urban migration

Answer 3

• Many people come in search of employment + better income
• Thousands don’t have contacts in Mumbai to stay with.
• Housing in Dharavi is cheap ( ₹185 rupees / month )

Question 4

Causes :

Slum Rehabilitation Scheme

Answer 4

• Slum Rehabilitation Scheme has depended on privatisation as a means of development.
• Private builders build flats for slum residents on a small portion of the slum plot, and the rest is used to build high-end apartments.

Question 5

Characteristics :
Poor quality housing
Lack of sanitation

Answer 5

• Poor quality housing. Many houses are made from cardboard, wood, corrugated iron, plastic sheeting or metal from oil drums.
• Lack of sanitation. People go to the toilet on the street and there are open sewers. These sewers can sometimes go into cracks in the water pipes, contaminating it and causing disease. Children play in the sewage and they risk diphtheria and typhoid ( 4000 cases a day ). Sewage can attract rats, mosquitoes, flies, leeches, etc.

Question 6

Characteristics :
Overcrowded
Jobs in the informal sector
Fire hazards

Answer 6

• Overcrowded. People live in small dwellings ( e.g. 12*12 sq ft ) and it is often shared with members of their extended family.
• Houses become more substantial and permanent towards the centre of Dharavi.
• Thousands of workshops and jobs in the informal sector. 75% of people have a job and most work locally, with an annual turnover of £350 million.
• Fire hazards. Many families cook with small gas stoves without correct ventilation. Since it is so crowded, extensive damage would occur. Small and narrow roads would make it hard for the fire brigade to help.

Question 7

Characteristics :

Positives

Answer 7

• Informal shopping areas + mosques to cater to people’s needs
• Pottery area with a community centre.
• Strong sense of family. Up to 5 people can share a room, and many share a room with their extended family.
• Daily chores are done in social spheres, because people live close to one another. which helps build a strong sense of community
• 85% of people have a job in the slum and work locally.

Question 8

Solutions :

Vision Mumbai

Answer 8

• Replaces squatter settlement housing with high quality, high-rise tower blocks of flats
• The plan is to demolish Dharavi’s existing buildings and sell the land to property developers. The developers are offered the land for less money than its worth, but in return have to use the cleared land to build better homes for Dharavi’s current residents.
• As building high-rise tower blocks saves space, the remaining land area can be used to build profitable shopping malls, office blocks and upmarket apartments for sale + rent to Mumbai’s richer residents.
• They also aim to improve the area’s water supply, sanitation + drains.
• A problem is that while this is under construction, the residents have no where to stay.

Question 9

Solutions :

Water pollution

Answer 9

Water pollution :
Caused by :
Big industries dumping their untreated industrial waste straight into the river
Airport dumping untreated oil
800 millions of untreated sewage per day
Dumping other waste, such as food + cattle slurry, metals, old batteries
Waste discharges from factories are now checked
More public toilets have been built to reduce the amount of raw sewage entering the river

Question 10

Solutions :

Water pollution

Answer 10

• Caused by big industries dumping their untreated industrial waste straight into the river, airports dumping untreated oil, 800 millions of untreated sewage per day, dumping other waste, such as food + cattle slurry & metals, old batteries
• Waste discharges from factories are now checked
• More public toilets have been built to reduce the amount of raw sewage entering the river

Question 11

Solutions :

Pollution

Answer 11

• Keeping recycling workshops going but in a more environmentally friendly way
• Education projects to teach people why they shouldn’t dump rubbish straight into the river
• Metro systems to encourage public transport, banned diesel as fuel to reduce CO2 emissions.