Dharavi: Soon a Slum No More?

Not for nothing do they call it Asia's largest slum. Situated in the heart of the city of Mumbai, India and home to about 52,000 families who generate a turnover of over 444 million US dollars per annum from their numerous industrial units scattered across the spread, Dharavi is truly a sea of humanity struggling against the odds to keep itself afloat.

But this is set to change very soon.

The state government of Maharashtra, in which the city of Mumbai is located, a city where at least 50 percent of the population lives in slums, has implemented the Slum Rehabilitation Authority—something that is touted as the world's largest slum rehabilitation project.

Expected to cost $1,258 million US dollars, the Dharavi Development Project (DDP) aptly titled "Support Our Slums" has been framed as a holistic project that aims not merely to provide alternate homes to the slum-dwellers, but to create well-planned and aesthetic surroundings catering to all their needs: housing complexes, schools, supermarkets, a modern hospital, clinics, a state-of-the art leather institute, fashion and ceramic institutes, a four-acre sports complex, a center for visual and performing arts and open spaces—all connected by wide roads.

What is novel about the DDP is that it is a self-funded scheme. A group of real-estate developers will construct over 70,000 apartments, allotting 225 square feet area for each, for every Dharaviite family. The families will not be charged for their new apartments, which will be situated on the area presently covered by the slum. The developers will be compensated by being awarded extra FSI or the transfer of development rights. Thus, for each square foot built for a slum-dweller, the developer will be entitled to 1.33 square feet of saleable space. The DDP blueprint divides the slum into 12 sectors—two of which will be developed as commercial development.

The DDP was conceived by non-resident Indian architect Mukesh Mehta, CEO of M M Consultants and appointed adviser to the Government of Maharashtra, after a five-year study of the area and the nature of its inhabitants. The finding that slum-dwellers are loath to live in high-rise buildings practically translated the plans for low rise (seven-storey buildings), high-density dwellings. With complete emphasis on creating a sustainable environment for the mass of humanity that will be rehabilitated, the project also entails a 15-year guarantee on the part of the developers for the maintenance of the residential complexes, external paint, lifts and electrical maintenance—as Mehta's study indicated that slum-dwellers are not used to saving and spending on the area immediately outside their homes.

The project's vision is thus to create a modern-day township ensconced in the city of Mumbai. Interestingly, Dharavi was originally one of many villages surrounding the British fort in Mumbai. In the late 1600s and 1700s when the development of cotton mills caused a large influx of migrants to erstwhile Bombay, Dharavi was just one crowded "native-town", as they were called, outside the walls of the British area, having its own small tanning industry. Over the centuries, textile, pottery, plastic processing, Jari (special Indian embroidery work done with golden and silver threads) stitching industry units grew alongside the leather tanning industry.

The planners have made provision for the further growth and employment prospects of Dharavi's industrial units, by envisaging the creation of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) housing gem and jewelry factories, a leather industry, info tech etc., which will spur their current industrial output to grow manifold to $2,890 million per annum.

The Central Government has already allocated a grant of over $110 million to the project, which will be appropriated for the development of infrastructure. Government estimates indicate that the funds will be used to build schools, a fire station, a municipal market, a police station, a municipal chowky (central spot), a municipal hospital, sewage disposal facilities, solid waste management facilities, drinking water facilities, storm water drains, a cemetery and roads. Apparently, civic necessities have been well thought of.

A mass transit or shuttle service to connect the entire area with surroundings suburbs such as Sion, Dadar, Bandra or Mahim is also visualized.

With a long-term aim of integrating Dharaviites with mainstream Mumbai, and providing them a platform to aspire to a better life, the DDP initiative is designed to transform the entire population to a middle-income community by 2010.

While many rehabilitation projects get bogged down by a lack of political or administrative will, in this case, the administration and political system seems committed to seeing the project through and to this end, have consulted numerous corporations to ensure the right legal framework is put in place prior to the process of global tendering for the development contracts. Given that, it appears to be only a matter of time before this ugly duckling turns into a beautiful swan.