Why builder-driven ‘slum redevelopment’ won’t change the lives of Mumbai’s poorest residents

Mumbai is being ruled in a way which guarantees that it will be permanently infested with slums – new, vertical, permanent slums in replacement of the old, temporary, mostly horizontal slums. The Slum Redevelopment Authority of Maharashtra is doing this and the issue matters because other states are considering adopting the “SRA model” for cop

Let us begin by listing the characteristics of a slum:

1. Too-small accommodation, often 10 sqm or less, for a family of four or more

2. Flimsy construction material (not always – Mumbai’s BDD Chawls are a good example of beautiful old solid stone construction, nevertheless declared as slums)

3. Narrow passageways between constructions, poor vehicular access

4. Inadequate water supply, no sewerage, poor garbage collection

5. Inadequate light and ventilation, to the point where it is damaging to health, particularly of children

6. No schools with playgrounds, no place for children to run around and develop physically

7. No clinics or other basic medical support

8. No parks or recreation spaces

With redevelopment, the difference is that whereas in the 1900s the slums were temporary structures, often built without permission on vacant land that happened to be free, the slums since 1996 are being rebuilt by the Slum Redevelopment Authority as legitimate permanent RCC structures that will last a hundred years or more.

The redevelopment takes...

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