Case Study:

Mumbai
Overcrowding &
Overpopulation
 Table of contents

Introduction Statistics Resources

1 Overcrowding v/s
Overpopulation
2 Various Analyses of the
Population of Mumbai
3 Effects with regards to
resource management

Housing &
Infrastructure Medical Field
4 Effects with regards to
Infrastructure (Transport &
Utilities)
5 Traffic
Effects with regards to
Housing & Traffic
6 Effects with regards to
Medical Field

Sanitation Other Effects Future Trends

7 A small look into Slum Areas
& Sanitation
8 Other Indirect Effects of
Overcrowding
9 What’s in store for the future
of our city?
#1 Overcrowding & Overpopulation
Overcrowding Vs Overpopulation
Overcrowding and overpopulation clearly have different meanings.
Overcrowding is the condition where more people are located within a given
space. Overpopulation is the state whereby the human population rises to an
extent exceeding the carrying capacity of the ecological setting. Many people
conflate overpopulation with overcrowding, but while the two terms do overlap,
they are far from synonymous.

the popular confusion between overcrowding and overpopulation is the fault of

environmentalists and population activists themselves, as well as the news
media. Whenever we publicize images that we intend to convey
overpopulation, what we show are images that in fact convey overcrowding,
not overpopulation. That’s why we show images like the overcrowded train in
Bangladesh rather than the solitary skier atop an Alaskan icefield.

Talking about apla Mumbai, is it overcrowded or overpopulated?

Both, Sadly.
#2 Causes & Statistics
Causes of overcrowding(push & pull)
Each year thousands of people migrate to Mumbai from rural areas. Rural to urban migration happens because of push and
pull factors.

Pull Factors Push Factors

educational opportunities with access to schools and education and health standards are much lower in rural
universities areas

improved health care providers with access to hospitals jobs in agriculture (farming) have become harder to find
and dentists due to natural hazards such as drought, smaller plot sizes,
The Green Revolution (a government program to improve
agriculture using chemicals) and overpopulation

services such as water, electricity and sewage only large farms can afford chemicals and machinery.
Many small farms cannot compete, and people have sold
their land to large farming corporations

friends and family who have already moved to the city and young people see farming as hard work with long hours
who can provide support in finding accommodation and and low pay
jobs

improved job prospects with higher wages

the opportunity to work in the public sector and for

international agencies in public work
Statistics

Birth Rate

Population Growth till 2011

Some problems that might be faced include-

1. Providing clean water, sanitation systems and energy

2. Providing access to services – health and education
3. Reducing unemployment and crime
4. Managing environmental issues – waste disposal, air and water pollution, traffic congestion
#3 Effect on Economy & Quality of Life
Introduction
Overpopulation puts a strain on resources and affects
every facet of your life from the cost of buying a pair of
shoes to the variety of vegetables available at the grocery
store. When the population grows faster than the world
has the ability to absorb the additional demands for food,
clothing, shelter and employment, then you may perceive
overpopulation as reducing the number of jobs available.
Increased
Unemployment
In general, the higher the population, the more jobs
are created to serve the needs of the many. More
homes must be constructed, more food produced,
more clothing manufactured. Even during periods
of population growth, new technology may reduce
the number of employees needed in one industry,
Competition for
while the needs of the people create new jobs in Employment
another.
Overpopulation causes more competition for employment. Not only
does increased competition for work make it tougher to find a job,
employers can hire employees for a lower wage because there are
more applicants than jobs to go around. Lower wages during a time
when the demand for products is higher than can be produced lowers
your purchasing power and enhances the illusion that there are fewer
jobs. During tough times, employees are also less likely to give up a job
they dislike because the odds are against them to find a better job.
Quality of Life
Adding to the competition of employment, there is competition
for resources. Food, Water, Shelter, Medical Facilities and
everything else in the world. This means that people might
compromise the quality of these resources and accept any
quality for the need. And all that consumption contributes to
ecological degradation, increased conflicts, and a higher risk of
large-scale disasters like pandemics.
#4 Infrastructure & Utilities
Power Distribution
● Mumbai’s power grid can supply 4000 MWs of Power, and Demand
is at 3700 MW, with projections to 6000 by 2030, leading to stress
and frequent Power Outages
● Mumbai’s power supply is very old and dilapidated and without
quick renovation work, the power grid’s chances of collapsing are
increasing, which could be devastating.
● Currently, instead of renovation, efficiency gains and development
of more power generation, the BMC is countering this issue by
building energy corridors to bring more energy from outside
Mumbai, which is a risk as Mumbai already only generates 43% of
it’s energy and is becoming dependent on external supplies.
● However, Even though the situation seems concerning, The rest of
India suffers much worse as the country on average receives 22
hours power supply daily with many cities facing power outages
daily.
Water Distribution
● Current Storage Capacity: 1.447T Litres with Supply of 3.85B Litres Daily
(375 Days)
● Actual Requirement of 4.85B Litres Daily (Only 298 Days) with
projections of 6.1B by 2041
● Water Leakage Rates 4x higher than Shanghai, also Spreading Diseases
● Decaying Century Old Water Infrastructure with Bad Maintenance
● Lack of Official Piping Plans, hindering Maintenance & Renovation
● Falling Rainfall Levels and Increasing Water Consumption
● These factors, coupled with falling rain-fall levels and increasing water
consumption (due to Overpopulation & Rising Living-Standards) could
mean dangerously low water levels and excruciating water cuts.
● It is very hard to maintain water systems in a city with such a big
population, and an infrastructure that is in serious need of repair.
● Highly Subsidized Pricing meaning that Well-Off citizens do not
understand the issue.
● Lack of Water in Many Parts (30% Households do not have Water
Connection)
Traffic in Mumbai
● Mumbai is rated as the #5 worst Traffic Area in the world and #1 worst
in India with a 53% congestion rate, 65% during Morning Rush and 79%
during Evening Rush.
● Between 2009 and 2019, the number of vehicles more than doubled
while road infrastructure stayed the same, if not degraded.
● BEST Buses and Local Trains are also severely overcrowded and
strained to the limits leading to hundreds of accidents yearly. (Ex. CST
Bridge Collapse, March 2019)
● With regards to public transport, 75% of Mumbaikars find it increasingly
stressful, and 58% are willing to pay higher fares.
● However this has been reducing due to infrastructure development with
an 18% drop since ‘19, 23% drop in Morning Rush and 24% in Evening
Rush. (see Future Trends)
● Simultaneously, other bottlenecks are being created due to unfinished
construction projects like metro.
#5 Housing
Effects in regard to housing
Overcrowding amplifies health risks caused by inadequate water supply and poor sanitation systems.
Home and neighborhood accidents are more likely to occur. Crowded household unable care for sick
family members. Lack of space has a direct effect on physical and psychological growth.

Squatter settlements have grown rapidly in Mumbai, spreading onto private land. They are typically
poorly constructed and overcrowded.

Dharavi is Mumbai’s and India’s biggest squatter settlement, with a population of approximately 1.2
million people crowded into one square mile. Many of the residents are second generation, living in
small dwellings with many extended family members.

Dharavi lies between two railway lines on low-lying land, previously used as a rubbish tip. The
settlement is made up of twelve different neighbourhoods, and there are no road signs. The further you
enter the settlements, the more permanent and solid the structure become.

Conditions in Dharavi are challenging. People live by open sewers, and children play amongst the
sewage waste. There is an average of 4,000 cases of typhoid and diphtheria each day. Access to
freshwater is mainly by standpipes turned on at 5:30 am for two hours as water is rationed. There is an
average of one toilet per 1,450 people. The average life expectancy is under 60 years old (compared
to the national average of 69.27 years in 2020), due to disease and health concerns.
#6 Slums & Sanitation
A look into: Overcrowding, Slums &
Sanitation
● Greater Mumbai is projected to have a slum population of up to 41.3%, which
equates to more over 9 million residents living there. A total of 104 million people,
or 9% of India's population, are thought to live in slums across the whole nation.
The biggest slum in Mumbai and the second largest in Asia is called Dharavi (after
Orangi Town in Pakistan). Dharavi, a city of about 535 acres with a population
density of astonishing 869,565 people per square mile, is home to an estimated
million people.
● According to India, slums are "areas where structures are unsuited for human
habitation; or are adverse to safety, health, or morality due to dilapidation,
overcrowding, building design, narrowness of streets, lack of ventilation, light, or
sanitary facilities; or any combination of these factors." Poor infrastructure in
Mumbai's slum areas has a negative impact on a number of grave problems,
including inhabitants' access to clean water, overcrowding, and disease
transmission.
● According to independent sanitation surveys, 78% of community toilets in
Mumbai’s slums lack water supply, 58% have no electricity, many are without
proper doors and facilities for women to dispose of sanitary napkins.
#7 Waste Management
Waste Management in Mumbai
● Mumbai is the city of glitz and glamor; of high rises and plush
hotels and housing complexes, of bars and exotic restaurants, of
soaring real estate values, of gilded star homes at Bandra and
Juhu, of swanky cars and malls and international brands etc. But
underneath all that jazz, Mumbai grapples with a giant problem-
solid waste management. The city’s faring poorly when it comes
to handling proper, hygienic disposal of human and kitchen
refuse. Any number of factors might be responsible for this.
Waste Management in Mumbai
● The growing number of people in the cities puts a strain on Waste Management efforts. If a city
cannot effectively cope, this will mean poor waste management which will strain the condition
of our environment further. This rapid and unsustainable urban development patterns can
pose a serious risk to our health and our environment.
● Mumbai generates over 11,000 tons of MSW per day, most of which is dumped or illegally burnt.
Less than 10% of this waste is segregated and even lesser is actually treated.
● Improper waste management creates air, soil and water pollution and mixed waste is either
sent to dumping grounds or burnt. Mumbai has no further space for new landfills and needs to
urgently address it’s mounting waste problem.
● Also, Mumbai’s coast is the most polluted in the world, according to a global study. The city’s
beaches were also found to have large amounts of littered debris.
Waste Management in Mumbai
● To make matters worse, 25% of sewage comes from the city’s slums. These are not connected to Mumbai’s
1915 km sewerage, and therefore flow untreated into creeks. Untreated waste is harmful in umpteen ways-
it’s unsanitary, it causes odour problems, air and water pollution, breeds pathogenic microbes that may
cause infectious diseases in city residents.
● With development and increasing population comes waste. This is an inevitable consequence of
industrialization and modernization, yet the form of that waste, the volume, and its disposal are all closely
tied to the society that creates it and then how that society responds to it. Rapid growth of population
poses major challenge to the ecological balance and is of environmental concern. The current practices of
the uncontrolled dumping of waste on the outskirts of towns/cities have created a serious environmental
and public health problem in the city of Mumbai.
#6 Healthcare
Current state of healthcare
● Mumbai has by far the strongest public health infrastructure in India, but in
order to sufficiently service its neglected residents, an Indiaspend research
has shown that it needs to at least quadruple the number of doctors and
medical facilities now in place.
● According to the newly issued "State of the Health" report from advocacy
group Praja, state and municipal hospitals are lacking 26% of nurses and
medical professionals and 44% of physicians. According to the research,
state medical institutions that double as hospitals are 38% short on
lecturers and 25% short on paramedical employees.
● According to a World Bank assessment, Mumbai's present health
infrastructure was designed between 1950 and 1980 to serve between 5.2
and 7 million people, but today serves over 13 million.
Current state of healthcare (contd.)
● Although public hospitals offer care to low-income patients for free or at a
little cost, many individuals prefer private facilities, which is why there are
more private hospitals than government-run ones.
● Although low-income patients can receive care in public hospitals for free or
at a reduced cost, many people choose private facilities instead, which is
why there are more private hospitals than government-run ones.
#9 Future Trends
Infrastructure Development
● Mumbai Metro Construction will give a boost to connectivity &
infrastructure and reduce traffic congestion (14 Lines, 350 km, $4 Billion)
● Navi Mumbai Airport will increase travel and remove strain from the
busiest airport with a single operational runway in the world, also
boosting the economy ($2 Billion)
● Mumbai Trans Harbour Sea Link will reduce travel times between 2 of the
busiest areas of Mumbai, relieving existing inefficient crumbling highway
infrastructure ($2 Million)
● Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Corridor, once again reducing travel
times and giving the city an economic & residential boom ($20 Billion,
350 km)
● Coastal Road Project- Coastal Highway cutting travel times from 2 hours
to 40 minutes and easing congestion ($1.5 Billion)j
Sustainable Growth
● Mumbai Climate Action Plan outlining 30 year long term, mid term and
short term actions.
● Flood Control Underground Water Tanks with Siphoning Pumps to avoid
Monsoon Floods (26 Million Litres)
● Hindustan Unilever led initiatives opening free sanitation centres around
poor areas (40% of Mumbai Population lives in Slums) providing access
to potable water, functioning toilets and laundry facilities, and reducing
water pollution
● BEST-led initiative to electrify 3000 bus fleet, 45% in 2022 and 100% by
2028, reducing emissions in the city.
● Solar Grid - Conversion from Coal to Solar, producing 17 GigaWatts by
2026 (35% of Entire Energy Consumption)
Population Trends & the Future

Mumbai continues growing at an alarming

rate, with a projected population of 28
Million in 2030, a 40% increase from 2020 as
Migration continues, coupled with high birth
rates and rising life expectancies.
Thank You!