Slum Development in India, Challenges, Government Initiatives

Context: The subject of slums has found a prominent place in the debates and discussions of the Indian Parliament, the shifting views influences how laws and policies handle slum issues.

About Slum

• Slum” typically refers to city areas with unregulated housing and poor, dense living conditions.
• These areas are usually highly populated and offer very limited space for residents.
• According to UN-HABITAT, a slum dwelling is characterised by a group of people under one roof lacking in one or more areas:
  • Sturdy and weatherproof housing.
  • Adequate room, with a guideline of no more than three people per room.
  • Affordable and readily available clean drinking water.
  • Sufficient sanitation facilities, such as a shared public or private toilet for a sensible number of users.
  • Legal protection against being forcibly removed from their homes.

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Reasons For The Development Of Slums In India

• Inadequate Urban Planning: The lack of well-structured urban planning has been a key factor in the emergence of slums.
  • For instance, Indian cities like Mumbai and Delhi have grown rapidly, with urban planning not keeping pace with the influx of people, leading to haphazardly constructed settlements.
• Rapid Urbanisation: The swift migration of people to cities in search of better opportunities has contributed to the growth of slums.
  • For instance, According to UN-HABITAT, 675 million Indians (~43%) will reside in urban areas by 2035.
• Land Pressure: The increasing population in urban areas has put significant pressure on land availability.
  • For instance, In cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the tech boom has increased the demand for land.
• Rising Property Prices: As the demand for land in cities grows, so does the cost, making affordable housing less accessible.
  • For instance, The real estate markets in metropolitan areas such as Mumbai or Delhi have seen skyrocketing property prices.
• Housing Shortage: The urban housing deficit has been a major issue, leading to the proliferation of slum areas.
  • For instance, The shortage of affordable housing in urban India is exemplified by the vast slum populations in areas like Mumbai’s Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum.
• Lack Of Political Will Towards Slum Redevelopment: As slum becomes contesting grounds of politics.
  • Many slum redevelopment projects are caught in politics as being favouring big real estate developers, or encroaching on rights of the poor.

Issues Associated with Slums

• Basic Amenities Deficit: Slums often suffer from a lack of essential services, including proper water supply, sanitation facilities, waste management, electricity, and access to education and healthcare.
• Severe Overcrowding: These areas are characterised by high population density, with multiple families sometimes residing in single-room units, leading to cramped living conditions.
• Improper Housing: Many slum dwellings are constructed with impermanent materials and do not meet official building codes, making them unsafe and unsuitable for living.
• Unsanitary Conditions: The absence of clean water and proper waste disposal systems results in unhealthy living environments, with an increased risk of communicable diseases.
• Location Hazards: Slums are often situated in precarious locations, such as near industrial zones, where residents may be exposed to pollutants and industrial waste.
• Lack of Legal Housing Rights: Slum inhabitants typically lack legal rights to the land they occupy, facing constant threats of displacement and exploitation by property speculators.
• Entrenched Poverty: These areas symbolise extreme poverty and marginalisation, contributing to persistent deprivation and social instability, often exacerbated by crime.
• Marginalised Populations: Slums frequently house vulnerable groups, including new migrants, displaced individuals, and marginalised ethnic communities.
• Exploitation Risks: Women and children living in slums are especially susceptible to exploitation, including forced labour, trafficking, and other forms of abuse.
• Socioeconomic Challenges: Slum communities face high infant mortality rates, early marriage practices, child labour, hunger, malnutrition, and insufficient educational opportunities.

Government Initiatives For Slum Redevelopment

Challenges in Slum Redevelopment

Demand-Side Challenges

• Home Shortage: There’s a reported deficit of around 19 million urban homes in India, predominantly affecting low-income families.
• Financial Resource Access: Urban low-income groups often cannot access formal financial avenues to afford new housing, despite government subsidies.

Supply-Side Challenges

• Urban Land Scarcity: The anticipated rise in urban population to 675 million by 2035 exacerbates the demand for land, with stringent controls and lack of transparent records complicating development.
• Increased Building Costs: The cost of construction has surged by 80% over the past decade, making affordable housing construction challenging for developers.
• Regulatory Hurdles: Multi-level approvals for urban development projects introduce significant delays.
• Land Ownership Disputes: Informal settlements often have complex title disputes, leading to litigation and redevelopment delays.
• Litigation Risks: Legal challenges, such as those against the Dharavi Slum Redevelopment Plan, can stall projects.
• Redeveloped Unit Misuse: There’s a trend of illegally subletting redeveloped units, undermining the objectives of slum redevelopment.
• Overburdened Infrastructure: Additional housing strains municipal services like water and electricity, if capacity is not concurrently increased.

Proposed Approach for Redevelopment of Slum

• Tailored Redevelopment Models: Adaptation of redevelopment models to local contexts is necessary, considering demographic growth and urban density.
• Decentralised Services: Implementing decentralised sanitation and energy systems could address service delivery inefficiencies in slums.
• Preventing Illegal Practices: Strong measures against the illegal subletting and sale of redeveloped housing can uphold the integrity of redevelopment schemes.
• Supportive Financing: Adequate financial support for low-income families can assist them in covering housing costs, preventing a return to slums.
• Microfinance Expansion: Enhancing microfinance can more effectively provide housing funds to the urban poor.

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