Factfile: Dharavi Dharavi is a gigantic slum that is home for over 1 million people (the number is actually unknown, but this is an estimation) in Mumbai, India. Even though it houses thousands of people, this does not mean it has suitable conditions that are perfect for humans to live. This fact file aims to show more of what the Dharavi Slum actually is.

Its History The Dharavi was an island with a mangrove swamp, so it was turned into a village that inhabited Koli fisherman. The population numbers were very small at the time. Later on, the village’s population number started to increase and slowly the Dharavi Slum was made.

The Dharavi Slum was made during the British colonial era and the slum started growing in numbers due to the migration of poor rural indians into Mumbai and the removal of residents from the peninsular city centre by the colonial government; another reason for its expansion is that factories were removed, which meant many workers couldn't afford to rent a place and decided to move to the Dharavi Slum to maintain a cheaper life. Now, The Dharavi Slum now houses over a million people and has a population density of a whopping 869, 565 people per square mile.

Location and tourism Dharavi is a large area between Mumbai's two main suburban railway lines, the Western and Central Railways. To the west of Dharavi, the Mahim Nature Park and the Bandra West are located; the Mithi River (the river flows through the Mahim Creek and is connected to the Arabian Sea) is located on the north of the Dharavi Slum.

Dharavi actually became the most popular tourist destination in India to visit according to TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice awards. A reason for this is the slum itself gained a lot of popularity due to the many movies that were made, which made many people interested to visit the Dharavi Slum.

Many people believe living in Dharavi is dangerous and a lot of visitors expect extreme poverty and despair due to all the stereotypical movies that were made. However, the tours are said to be much different from the depictions that were made, which is why the visits to the slum quickly increased throughout the years; many people were and are extremely interested to actually see and understand Dharavi and how people live there. A few travel operators give guided tours through Dharavi, showing the industrial and the residential part of Dharavi while explaining the problems and challenges that the slum is facing; these tours show and explain the good and bad things that the media chooses to ignore or hide.

Economy There are actually many small businesses that help people earn a living and to help people purchase important items for themselves, such as food, clothes, furniture and e.t.c. The Dharavi Slum has around 5,000 businesses and 15,000 single-room factories. There are also some industries and some include the recycling industry, traditional pottery and textile industries. However, because the recycling industry is one of the major industries in the slum, it is a source of heavy pollution for the slum.

Furthermore, the Dharavi slum actually exports products (these include leather items, jewellery, different types of accessories and e.t.c) around the world. Their goods are sold in markets in different countries, such as in the United States, countries in Europe and the Middle east. The total amount of money earnt from this is estimated to be around £400 million. Due to this, the yearly income for residents is around £400 to £1,600.

Sanitation Sadly, the Dharavi Slum does have many problems concerning sanitation and cleanliness that are one of the causes of the many infectious diseases that have spread in the slum. The first problem is about where water pipes. Many of the water pipes that deliver water for washing clothes and showering are weak and very fragile; due to this, the breaking and cracking of the pipes is not uncommon. As those water pipes are next to the sewage areas, they could crack and allow sewage to enter and flow through, which can cause a lot of problems, such as sewage flowing to the shower heads and exiting them.

The next problem is about the toilets; they are extremely filthy broken down, which makes them unsafe. Citizens of the Dharavi slum have decided to use the Mahim Creek for urination and defecation, which is causing the spread of infectious diseases. Another issue that the Dharavi slum faces if the amount of toilets in the slum. There is only 1 toilet for about 500 people, which encourages people to use other places (that are not made for people to use as toilets) for urinating and defecating.

Epidemics The Dharavi Slum has been attacked by many different diseases that have caused a loss of lives. The slum experienced its first plague back in 1896, where it severely suffered and almost lost half of its population. Slowly, more and more epidemics continued to critically affect the Dharavi Slum with high death rates; a few include typhoid, polio and cholera. Patients of all the diseases were usually only brought in hospitals too late, which put them in critical care conditions.

The new coronavirus pandemic has indeed reached the Dharavi Slum and the first case was announced in April 2020. So far, there are about 900 cases, however it is very possible for that number to be grossly underestimated due to the slum’s population and population density.