Dec 11: Dharavi Slum

On our first full day in Mumbai we jumped right in with a train ride during rush hour to the Dharavi Slum. Twyla and Greg wanted to take the slum tour and having visitors was a perfect fit.

The Bandra train station is only a short walk from T&G’s apartment, with part of it on elevated walkways that give a good overview of the whole local area. The walkways cross several large roads. They are very good for decreasing pedestrian/vehicular interactions which are always stressful at road level.

We bought 1st class train tickets so were able to travel in packed train cars, but not crushingly so as in the 2nd class cars. The 1st class tickets cost about 3 times the 2nd class tickets but each ticket still cost under 1 USD. One of the important points in train riding is getting on and off with and against

the crowds (think of us as salmon swimming up stream). There are no doors on the train doorways, so there is no warning when the train is leaving, as there would be on a subway car. Rather exciting until you get used to it and learn that you don’t die if you board or leave when the train is still moving slowly, AND the last to board get the best view and a breeze. The air isn’t exactly fresh but at least it is moving.

At the Dharavi Slum train stop, Mahim, (one stop before Dadar, the real mayhem station where many bus and train lines connect) we were met by our Reality Tours and Travel guide, Jidish.  On the bridge over the train tracks into the slum, Jidish gave us lots of history and information about Dharavi.  If you have seen ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, you have seen some scenes of Dharavi, but there are many misconceptions in the movie from the present day reality. 

Dharavi Slum Fact 1: In an area of 1.7 sq km there are an estimated 1 million people. (It would take 100 billion people living in Alaska to have the same density per sq km.)

 Dharavi Slum Fact 2: The slum has been in existence since about 1840 and has both industrial and residential areas. The land is government owned but the buildings have titles and private owners and are legally bought and sold. There is government-provided water, sewer and electricity.

 Dharavi Slum Fact 3: The estimated total yearly slum industry output is valued at 665 million USD! The slum industries we saw were: 1. Recycling of plastics, large paint and oil cans, cooling coils from refrigerators, cooper and aluminium wires, cardboard; 2. Baking various breads; 3. Logo embroidery; 4. Textile and travel bag manufacturing; 5. Food vendors for locals and migrant workers. 6. Public works for misc. pipes and wires. 7. Tanning and drying of animal hides.

Dharavi Slum Fact 4: The crime rate in the slum is much lower than the general city due to the community effect of everyone knowing their neighbours and not allowing pickpockets, petty criminals, and beggars to live there.

During the tour we were not allowed to take pictures out of respect for the people living there so we downloaded several from the Reality Tours website: http://www.realitytoursandtravel.com/

The streets, alleys, and one-person-wide passageways we walked through put us into life in the slum.  It was cleaner than we expected and had a very industrious, friendly and community feel overall.  Most of the buildings were 2 stories tall in both the industrial and residential areas.  By our standards things were very dark and dusty, but

compared with living “on the street” here in Mumbai, things were more substantial than we had anticipated.  We would have trouble fitting into the very steep, narrow stairs to the second story level of any of the houses or businesses. The stairways were like those on a ship; more like ladders than stairs.  Thankfully the upper story access to the school and several industries we toured were large enough for us visitors to enter.

We visited several of the small industries currently operating in the slum area. In most instances, the men working in these industries are from the rural area and often also sleep in the building in which they work. They work to send money home to the rural area to their families. The employers are very wealthy and appear rarely. In the more residential areas, families live in the slums might have children who attend school there, or who already work in industry. Some people live in the slum and work in the main part of the city. Our guide himself said he lives in another slum area because that is what he knows, and where his family is located.

Jidish was quick to point out that India is one of the “world’s dumping grounds”, and much of the small industry in Dharavi involves recycling and harvesting material from trash scavenged from the city, the dumps, and imported from developed countries. As a result we saw men bashing away at car radiators to harvest the aluminium and copper, then melt it down (very toxic fumes, so much so that this activity is not undertaken in North America), burning empty paint containers and cleaning them (also toxic fumes), and grinding and re-colorizing various plastic products to result in finely grated uniformly colored re-usable plastic. We could see and smell the smoky evidence of these activities as we stood on a rooftop, looking out across the whole slum.

In the residential areas, some houses have tapwater inside; others share a public pump, placed frequently enough that 4-6 dwellings share the use of one. The sewer is open to the air, a tiny channel about 8 inches wide and deep, with stone slabs or grates over parts, and otherwise uncovered. Grey water (very grey water) stands in the sewer, undoubtedly a breeding ground for mosquitos. We saw several dead rats in the tiny alleyways of the slum, and many dogs and cats roaming the maze of pathways. We did not go into any dwellings, but could see in through the doorways that the rooms were tiny and cluttered, airless and dark, and the rooms and alleys were populated with many people.

Those that we encountered living and working in Dharavi are surprisingly receptive to small walking tour groups, and when we approached and eye contact, large smiles follow. We were repeatedly questioned: What is your name? and/or Where are you from? Children from toddlers up reached out to shake our hands, examine our clothing, touch our glasses. Also the vibrant color of the women and children’s clothing has no limit. Bright, sequined and embroidered is the norm everywhere. Any full street or balcony clothesline, railing or ground clothes drying area is a festival of colors.

The government, as well as some NGOs, provide medical clinics, schools, adult training and community centers. (One of these being the Reality Tours and Travel Company which uses the tour fees to fund a kindergarten, adult training and a community center.)

While this slum area is devastatingly primitive, dirty, crowded and poor, the tour showed us that there are some positive aspects for those living in the slum: the sense of family and community, the high employment rate, and for India, a regular source of income, relative freedom from crime, and intermingling of religions. However, this is not to glorify slum life. Although it is condoned, even supported, by the local government, at any time the government could (and is currently planning) to demolish the slum in favour of hi-rise and commercial development, displacing both the people and the small industry that has evolved and thrived there for over 150 years.