Dharavi

Walking through Dharavi is an intense experience. In the industrial area, there are around 10,000 businesses, ranging from recycling to textiles, and everything in between. The workers here are usually from the rural areas of India, who have come to Mumbai to earn money to take back to their families. While they are working in the slum, they live in the small factory rooms, many of the workers all sharing the same place, with no home to go back to each day. Fortunately child labour has become an uncommon sight in Dharavi in recent years, as children nearly all go to school - education is becoming to be seen as more important to improve your livelihood, for both boys and girls. On the other hand, not many people from slums in India manage to get into Universities, as the public ones have very high entry grades, which mostly go to children who have had very good education, and the private universities are too expensive. Without a degree, it is harder for people to get higher income jobs, and therefore they are stuck in the cycle.

The fumes in many of these factories are difficult to tolerate. Smoke from coal burning stoves in cramped conditions, as well as melting metals all combine together, making it hard to breathe. Usually the workers are provided some safety equipment, such as masks and gloves, but these are unbearable in the humidity and heat, as well as slowing down the working progress, so often are not worn. The industries here are vital to the economics of the city, providing many objects and services for people around the city, yet the conditions of the workers and the amount of money they earn is very poor.

The potters area is very well known, and although many people use plastic containers etc now, pottery is still important, particularly around the festival season. This time of the year, the potter families earn enough money to last through the rest of the year. During the cooler early morning, the potters work on shaping the clay, which is then left to dry in the day time heat. In the early evenings, the smoke is very thick and strong, as the clay is being heated, creating a stuffy atmosphere.

The dark, twisting lanes of the residential areas are hazardous for a foreigner who doesn't know the area. It would be easy to get lost in this maze, without any hope of being able to find a way out alone. Luckily I was with a guide who knows the slum very well, and helped me navigate the tricky floor slabs and objects hanging down at head level. The proximity of the houses is something I didn't fully comprehend until I went into the slum myself - no photos of videos can really show what it is like. In just one small room, there is a kitchen. the family communal space, and the area for sleeping - all together, rarely with a bed. Being in such a confined space with no privacy must have a high toll on families, and I can imagine tensions may become quite stressed at times.

These issues are accepted by the inhabitants of the slum as they value their sense of community and their personal attributes. Many of the people here own a mobile phone and dress in beautiful clothes - both Indian and Western fashions. This shows the priorities of the residents, and what they most value in their lives. Living in this mostly flat, but cramped morphology gives a strong community, as everyone is so densely packed together, and therefore need to live harmoniously.

In 1995, the Indian government decided to recognise houses in slums are official residencies, giving the land rights to the owners. This means that any structure here before that date is now legal, and leads to the inhabitants wanting to spend their money on renovating the house or business building. In contrast, the newer, illegal housing is often left in a much poorer state, with no permanent additions (like using concrete), as people know that the government could destroy the house at any time.

There have been some attempts to move the slum dwellers into accommodation with better infrastructure. There are a few reasons this is not always successful, particularly for a slum as big as Dharavi. This area is of high retail value due to its central location, and proximity to two railways, making it an ideal development area. Originally the government had some schemes to move families into high rise apartment buildings, giving the apartment to them for free, but this has now been taken over by private corporations. Usually they will build two residential blocks on the plot of land - one to be given for free to people from the slums, and one to sell the apartments to other residents of the city, in order to make profit. The problem with this is that the slum residents' building tends to be of a secondary standard of housing, using cheaper materials. Another issue is that businesses cannot be run from this type of residence, unlike in the slum, which can be a huge negative aspect to many people, due to this being the way they earn money. The conception of living in an apartment is that the running fees will be much higher, as well as having a lack of community - it is isolated.

Living in a slum can lead to huge health problems. There is on average one toilet for every 1440 inhabitants, which leads to people using common areas or in running water. This can easily spread the infection of diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea. For vulnerable members of the community, particularly children and the elderly, this is extremely dangerous and can lead to death. The life expectancy here is lower than the rest of the city, at around 60 years, with a child mortality of approximately 40 children dying per 1000 live births.

Visiting Dharavi has made me realise what a complex situation this is, as there is no obvious answer to the best way in which a slum can be developed. The reasons for people working here is often financial, as people from rural parts of the country come to Mumbai for work, but are forced to take the labour jobs in the slum. This industry is vital in the economics of the city, so replacing it is not an option. It also varies greatly from the favelas I experiences in Brazil. Although I knew that many Mumbai slums would be in more in the central part of the city, while Brazilian favelas are often on the periphery, I didn't realise how different this creates the potential solutions. While access to transport in Curitiba may help people in poverty to access better jobs, people in India already have a close proximity to the jobs, yet they are unable to get them. A lack of good education, to college/univeristy level is evident in both countries, and this may be the way to develop a city and help the community to grow economically. By doing this, families would be able to earn more money, and improve the living conditions around them.

The information from this blog is based on a tour with Jitu from Reality Tours, and no photos were allowed on this tour. I thank Jitu for his knowledge and ability to answer any questions I had on the tour.