THE SLUMS OF INDIA

An identified slum is more or less a cluster of 300 inhabitants (60-70 households) with poor housing, infrastructure, drinking water and sanitation.

Statistics

66% of statutory towns in India have slums 13.7 million households live in 108,000 slums 17.4 urban households live in slums 17 million residents do not have access to water Nationwide, more than one third of slum-homes do not have indoor toilets Of the remaining two thirds, 64% had no sewage system

India’s Housing Crisis

A shortage of affordable housing in Indian cities has led to rampant illegal construction by developers using cheap materials and shoddy methods in order to offer low-cost homes to low-paid workers, paying bribes to officials to turn a blind eye.

Despite several promises by the government to build affordable homes for India's poor in densely populated cities, the country's urban housing shortage is estimated at nearly 19 million households. That lack of affordable housing is especially acute in Mumbai, India's financial capital and home to some of the world's costliest real estate, where an estimated six out of every 10 people live in slums.

The 2nd largest Slum in Asia

After Orangi, the largest slum in Asia is Dharavi in Mumbai. About one million people reside on just one square mile of space that was formerly a mangrove

swamp. People became flocking to the area as the tanning and textile industries boomed and Dharavi's population density is now 11 times higher than that of the city that encompasses it.

A look at life in India’s Slums

Water is always a scarce commodity in the slums. This boy fills his plastic container from a fire hydrant.

Corrugated Iron is a favorite building material.

Ingenuity is to the fore in the grim battle for living space, as even unused water pipes provide shelter for many of the city’s migrants.