Uncovering the Realities of Slums:

Slum Situation Analysis in India

National
Report by
Institute of
Chaithanya S. | M231066AR
Technology,
Vaishnavi C. K. | M231068AR
Calicut
Introduction

A slum is a run-down area of a city characterized

by substandard housing and squalor and lacking
in tenure security.

~United Nations Agency- Unhabitat

State governments adopt different definitions for the

term “Slum” based on the type of survey needed to be
conducted and the type of socio economic structure.

Source: Slum area of Mumbai in India, Kristian Bertel photography 2

 Causes of slum development Effects of slum development

More
Opportunities Working Conditions 01
in cities

Urban
Migration Health 02
Slow economic
growth

Surrounding Locality 03
Inadequate
housing in cities
Population

Undesirable spots 04
Government
Slums
connivance
Amenities 05

Source: Fundamentals of Town Planning : G.K. Hiraskar 3

 Housing shortage in slums

● The Critical nature of the problem is demonstrated

by the fact that 42 to 67 % of homes do not have
tap water, 26 to 50 % homes do not have toilets.
● From recent study it is reflected that nearly 74.20 % of
slum exists in 222 big towns and cities.
● As per the 2011 Census, there are approximately
108,000 such slums in the country, home to 13
million households of which 3.6 million are renters.
● Slum households constitute 17 percent of the total
urban population.
● At the same time, there are 11 million vacant homes
across urban India

Saroj Nagar Slum Nagpur

Source: Fundamentals of Town Planning : G.K. Hiraskar Source: Slum Areas of Top 10 Cities of India, fastread.in 4
 Slums Statistics
- World & India

Regions/ Total Urban % Urban Urban slum

countries population population population population

World 6134.00 2926.000 47.7 924.000

Developed 1194.00 902.00 75.5 54.000

regions

Developing 4940.00 2022.000 40.9 870.000

regions

Least 685.00 179.000 26.2 140.000

developed
regions

India 1025.096 285.608 27.9 158.418

Source: Slum in India- a Statistical Compendium 2011

5
Slums Statistics
- India

Male & female Population distribution

6
Slums Statistics
- India

● Steady growth in Slum population in India since 2011.

● Most developing countries have higher slum population than developed
countries.

Ron S Mahabir for Research gate: A Critical Review of High and Very High-Resolution Remote Sensing
Approaches for Detecting and Mapping Slums: Trends, Challenges and Emerging Opportunities 7
 Slums Statistics
India

Types of Slum- according to identification Types of Slum- according to formation

Freehold land- ownership for indeterminate

period

Urban Villages and land owned by village

panchayath

Encroachment on public or private land

Govt/ Private leasehold land

Slums on urban periphery

Illegal land subdivisions/ unauthorised

colonies

Restricted Resettlement

HOUSING STOCK, AMENITIES &

ASSETS IN SLUMS - CENSUS 2011 8
Slums Statistics
India

Slum Population Non Slum Population

52371589 233748100

Source: Slum in India- a Statistical Compendium 2011 9

Slums Statistics
India

● Steady growth in
Slum population
in India since
2011.
● Most developing
countries have
higher slum
population than
developed
countries.

10
Source: Slum in India- a Statistical Compendium 2011
 Slums Statistics
India

in Slums

Source: Slum in India- a Statistical Compendium 2011 11

Slums Statistics
Household based

HOUSING STOCK, AMENITIES & ASSETS IN SLUMS - CENSUS 2011

12
Slums Statistics
Household based & amenities

HOUSING STOCK, AMENITIES & ASSETS IN SLUMS - CENSUS 2011 13

Major Slums in India

1. Nochikuppam Slum Chennai

2. Basanti Slum Kolkata
3. Rajendra Nagar Slum Bangalore
4. Indiramma Nagar Hyderabad
5. Saroj Nagar Slum Nagpur
6. Dharavi Slum Mumbai
7. Mehbullahpur Slum Lucknow
8. Bhalswa Slum, Delhi

Source: Slums are Everywhere, Yet Nowhere, by Suresh Ediga

Major slums in Kerala are located in the cities of Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode. Mattancherry, Kalvathy, Iravelli,
Karipalam, Kochuangadi, Chakkamadam & parts of Cherali divisions form prominent slum areas in Kochi.

Source: Fundamentals of Town Planning : G.K. Hiraskar 14

Case Study- Bhalswa Slum, New Delhi
● Bhalswa is a slum situated at Jahangirpuri, Delhi next to Bhalswa Horseshoe Lake.
● Over the years half of it was used as a landfill area. Now a slum has been built on it, destroying the once excellent wetland
ecosystem and wildlife habitat of the region.

AREA: 6.7 sq km

1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 Density: 29,425 persons/ sq.km
Households: 38,157
Pop= 895 Pop= 1200 Pop= 70,301 Pop= 95,065 Pop= 1,52,339 Pop= 1,97,148 Sex ratio: 853(per 1000 men)
Literacy rate: 59%male, 62%
Growth rate= 0 Growth rate= 34.1 Growth rate= 57.58 Growth rate= 35.2 Growth rate= 60.2 Growth rate= 29.4 female

● Major population of Bhalswa were forcefully evacuated from various parts of Delhi during a beautification drive in the years
2000-'02. They were promised modern amenities. But it was this slushy wasteland, bordering on this landfill that they were finally
dropped into in truckloads.

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/AdithyaA16/bhalswa-slum-in-new-delhi
15
Bhalswa Slum, New Delhi- Site location

● Residents of Bhalswa, who were forcibly relocated from other parts of

Delhi during a beautification drive in the early 2000s, were promised
modern amenities but ended up in substandard conditions on this
slushy wasteland next to the landfill.
● Grid iron pattern is followed even if the settlement grew organically.
16
 ● Now, after 21 years, the slum remains hidden behind a humongous garbage dumping mountain with an average of 22,000 tons of
waste thrown in every day. Delhi Municipal Corporation has beautified it with grass and planted a few trees but the effort is
symbolic of the veil of ignorance.
● According to a 2011 census report by the Ministry Of Housing and Urban Affairs - The second largest and most densely
populated slum in India, after Mumbai’s Dharavi, is Bhalswa.

MAJOR PROBLEMS FACED BY BHALSWA POPULATION

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Source: https://www.slideshare.net/AdithyaA16/bhalswa-slum-in-new-delhi
17
 ● The landfill continues to grow beyond its capacity, without a
scientifically lined pit. During the monsoons, it soaks in the rain
water and releases it mixed with toxins, contaminating the
groundwater, and unleashing awave of jaundice, malaria and
other diseases among the people who live there.
● Bhalswa Village witnesses 50-100 deaths every year due to water
borne diseases.
● The contamination of groundwater leads to the crisis of drinking
water. The water of Delhi Jal Board which is supplied twice a day
is very poor in quality. The tube-wells do not work properly and
the water is highly polluted which is red and yellow in colour.
Most of the slum dwellers buy packaged drinking water. In the
winter, the DJB water supply becomes irregular too.
● High concentrations of heavy metals (nickel, copper, zinc) were
observed, which is hazardous for health. The steel industry
generally dumps their effluents in these landfills that contain high
concentrations of iron; over time, the iron seeps into groundwater
from landfills with rainwater in monsoon.

Source: https://www.millenniumpost.in/sundaypost/inland/story-of-a-flawed-urban-system-276322?infinitescroll=1

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Case Study- Dharavi
● Dharavi is one of the world’s most densely populated slum on earth. Dharavi is made up of 12 different neighborhoods and there
are no maps or road signs. Those problems exist because those people aren't living on their own property and the government is
trying to send them out so that they can start a new project.

AREA: 2.1 sq km

Source: The Federal News that talk sense, 22 April 2020

● A mere mangrove swamp island in the 18th Century, Dharavi became a village by the 19th Century. It was inhabited by
'Kolis', a fishing community, so people started referring to it as the village of Koliwada.

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/jayanthimani3/dharavi-slum-mumbai-75495689
19
● Residents of Dharavi, like most slum dwellers around the world, live in illegal housing units with few utilities and are
socially excluded. The majority of these are 120 sq ft in size and can accommodate four to ten people.
● The houses often have no windows, asbestos roofs (which are dangerous if broken) and no planning to fit fire regulations.
Rooms within houses have multiple functions, including living, working and sleeping.

Source: The Federal News that talk sense, 22 April 2020

Source: Magic bricks, 31 August 2023, Dharavi Slum Mumbai: History, Real Estate and Re-Development
20
 ● Dharavi literally overlooks the Bandra-Kurla Complex which is the new financial and commercial centre in Mumbai. In a city
bound by water and already fighting to accommodate millions of inhabitants, the centrally located Dharavi represents substantial
economic value.
● Traditional pottery and textile industries and recycling industry, processing recyclable waste from other parts of Mumbai is
reported to employ approximately 250,000 people in Dharavi. While recycling is a major industry in the neighborhood, it is also
reported to be a source of heavy pollution in the area. The district has an estimated 5000 businesses and 15,000 single-room
factories.

MAJOR PROBLEMS FACED BY DHARAVI POPULATION

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Source: https://www.slideshare.net/AdithyaA16/bhalswa-slum-in-new-delhi
21
● Open drains and communal toilets are common, posing
health and hygiene risks, especially during the monsoon
season when flooding can occur.

● Access to clean and potable water can be limited in

Dharavi. Residents often rely on shared water sources,
including communal taps and hand pumps, which may
not always provide safe drinking water.
● While many parts of Dharavi have access to electricity, there
can be issues with irregular and unreliable power supply. Photo courtesy San+Co. For design observer
Informal connections and electricity theft are
common.
● Solid waste collection services are insufficient, leading to
the accumulation of garbage in narrow alleys and
communal spaces.

● People have to go to the toilet in the street and there are

open sewers. Next to the open sewers are water pipes,
which can crack and take in sewage. Dharavi slum is based
around this water pipe built on an old rubbish tip.
Photograph: Rajanish Kakade/AP for theguardian
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Bibliography

● Fundamentals of town planning: G.K. Hiraskar

https://www.scribd.com/document/517661418/Pdfcoffee-com-Town-Planning-Hiraskar-PDF-Free
● censusindia.gov.in
● Behind concrete walls: The story of Nochikuppam Slum
https://medium.com/@muditdubey_43605/behind-concrete-walls-the-story-of-nochikuppam-slum-83510a2b8a1
● www.lifemission.org.in
● https://fastread.in/explore?infoID=2580
● झोपडपट्टी पुनवर्वसन प्रा धकरण (एसआरए) (sra.gov.in)
● https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/slums#:~:text=A%20slum%20is%20a%20residential,%2C%20unsafe%2C%2
0and%20socially%20undesirable.
● https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/what-we-do/slum-rehabilitation/what-is-a-slum/
● https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimesofindia.indiatimes.com%2Fcity%2Fdelhi%2Fddas-survey-in-87-sl
ums-to-help-find-them-new-homes%2Farticleshow%2F90061686.cms&psig=AOvVaw0oAG58KD_5qlzoAHVfhnYs&ust=16950
38029926000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjhxqFwoTCNCBzvDKsYEDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
● https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fswarajyamag.com%2Finfrastructure%2Fdharavi-slum-redevelopment-
3-bids-received-for-ambitious-rs-20000-crore-project-that-seeks-to-transform-asias-largest-slum&psig=AOvVaw0oAG58KD_5ql
zoAHVfhnYs&ust=1695038029926000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjhxqFwoTCNCBzvDKsYEDFQ
AAAAAdAAAAABAJ

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 Thank You

National
Report by
Institute of
Chaithanya S. | M231066AR
Technology,
Vaishnavi C. K | M231068AR
Calicut