India’s Invisible Slum Crisis

What is a Slum?

UN defines ‘slum’ as one or a set of people living in the same house in an urban area who lack one or more facilities, i.e., secure tenure, durable housing, sufficient living space, and access to improved water and sanitation facilities.

India’s slum-dwelling population increased from 27.9 million in 1981 to 65.5 million in 2011, accounting for about 17.37% of the total urban population in 2011 (Census 2011).

Characteristics of slum

1. 1. High population density
2. 2. Lack of access to basic services like clean water and sanitation
3. 3. Poor living conditions and lack of security of tenure
4. 4. Limited or no access to education and healthcare facilities
5. 5. Poverty, high unemployment and informal economy
6. 6. High incidence of deviant behaviour, i.e. crime, juvenile delinquency, drug usage, suicide, ill legitimacy and family maladjustments.

Factors for the growth of slums in India

1. 1. Rapid pace of urbanisation: India is one of the fastest-urbanizing countries in the world. As per UN, India’s urban population is expected to nearly double from 461 million in 2018 to 877 million by 2050.
2. 2. Poor housing planning: Lack of affordable, low-cost housing and poor planning by the government encourages the supply side of slums.
3. 3. Migration from rural to urban areas in search of better work opportunities.
4. 4. Social factor: Social backwardness forces people to live in congested areas away from main areas. E.g., one out of every 5 residents in slums belongs to the SC category.

Adverse impacts of slums

1. 1. Health hazards: Overcrowding and poor sanitation in slums create ideal conditions for the spread of communicable diseases such as cholera, dengue, and tuberculosis.
2. 2. Educational barriers: Children in slums face obstacles in accessing quality education. Limited schools and resources, coupled with need to contribute to family income, hinder their educational development.
3. 3. Poverty and inequality are both causes and consequences of slum development. Slum residents often lack education and skills, leading to low-paying, unstable jobs, making it hard to escape the poverty cycle.
4. 4. Environmental stress: Overcrowded and unsanitary conditions (improper waste disposal, inadequate sewage systems) contribute to environmental degradation and pollution.
5. 5. Impacts urban planning: Slums, often made up of illegal structures, challenge city planners by straining urban infrastructure like transportation, sanitation, and utilities, impacting the city’s overall functionality.
6. 6. Social isolation: Slum residents are socially isolated from others, partly by choice and partly by location.

Challenges in slum rehabilitation

1. 1. Limited access to financial resources: Urban poor lack formal financial resources to help them purchase new homes or maintain a new life in a new housing unit. Therefore, most of the newly constructed housing units are not affordable.
2. 2. Lack of land for housing: Excess control over land creates an artificial urban land shortage, leading to urban sprawl and corruption in land licensing. Further, non-marketable state-owned entities in the heart of cities limit the amount of available land for housing.
3. 3. Regulatory constraints: Development projects in urban areas are subject to a long approval process from both state and central levels, which postpones tasks.
4. 4. Vote bank politics: Politicians prioritize short-term electoral gains by making promises of welfare schemes to slum dwellers, often neglecting long-term urban planning and infrastructure development.
5. 5. Political deprivation: Slum dwellers often lack political representation and are excluded from decision-making, limiting their ability to advocate for their rights and improve living conditions.

Lessons from Slums

1. 1. Hotbeds of innovation: E.g. Residents in many slums use locally sourced materials for cost-effective, sustainable housing, offering insights into affordable solutions.
2. 2. Promote social cohesion: Community-driven initiatives in slums, such as self-help, collective decision-making, and resource pooling, offer valuable lessons for urban planners in fostering inclusive communities and promoting social cohesion in formal urban projects.
3. 3. Effective use of limited space: E.g. In Dharavi, small spaces are efficiently used for both residential and commercial purposes. This model can inspire high-density, mixed-use urban developments.
4. 4. Effective urban planning: Slums are often self-organised, responsive to residents’ needs, and demonstrate unique development patterns and flexible space use that enhance resilience and sustainability.

Way forward

1. 1. Undertake comprehensive, nationwide survey of slum households that goes beyond mere headcounts.
2. 2. Understanding the nuanced realities of people living in slums by involving the slum communities in the process, not as subjects but as active participants in building an understanding of their lived reality.
3. 3. Establishing a clear and comprehensive definition of a slum that accommodates regional variations while offering a consistent framework for intervention is essential.
4. 4. Provision of clear, free title to the residents so that they enjoy the privileges of using property as a tangible asset.
5. 5. Adopting a data-driven approach to slum rehabilitation as an investment rather than a burden.

Author: Arjun Kr. Paul