A survey report of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has revealed that the life expectancy of Mumbai slum residents barely reaches the age of 40. Only BMC and state government can be blamed for the failure to address the problems of the slums in the city. They neglected these regions and waste management has been a big failure. Political parties only talk about “slum-free Mumbai”, without any concrete plan and action. Whenever any accident takes place, political leaders blame each other. Mumbai’s slums occupy 12 per cent of its total geographic area but 55 per cent of its total population.
Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra, is surrounded by huge slum with shorter lives. Nearly half of Mumbai’s slums are non-notified, meaning they have no security of land tenure and are not entitled to access city services like connections to the water supply and sanitation. Most of the slum houses do not have individual toilets and taps. The residents have to pay to use community toilets which are rarely maintained. Here the slums lack water supply and 58 per cent have no electricity. Many slum houses do not have proper doors.
The condition of people living around Deonar dumping ground is more pitiable. The questionable problem of waste and the neglect of region hanging on its boundary is an example of diffused responsibility.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) fails to coordinate with elected representatives and expedite projects for the development of slums. Waste management is a bigger issue around Mumbai slums. The gas and smoke from garbage don’t stay in the ground, it spreads everywhere. Each day, 9000 metric tonnes of waste goes to the 134-hectare Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai. The life expectancy of people living around the dumping ground hovers at 39 years, as against an urban life expectancy of 73.5 years in the state. Better implementation of solutions, political will, stronger leaders and citizen responsibility is required to bring Deonar’s residents out of the landfills.
Balku Shivare, a resident of Deonar slum, told the Afternoon Voice, “Most of the people residing here have breathing problems and many are chronically ill patients. You will find most of the children scratching their eyes; the toxins from the garbage make it difficult to breathe.”
He further added, “The Deonar dumping ground often makes the news, especially when waste decomposes and the emitting methane gas catches fire, or when the municipal corporation announces something outrageous, such as inviting tenders for herbal deodorants to mask the landfill’s stink. However, to those living around, the nagging coughs, overflowing sewers, pungent air, or smoke billowing into their houses is not changing headlines but acknowledging a persistent truth.”
Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam stated, “At various places, slums have been demolished to make way for buildings. Bal Thackeray had started the slum rehabilitation scheme to provide appropriate housing to the slum dwellers. There is a provision to discharge sewage in slums through proper drainage. Dharavi is one of the biggest slums in Mumbai where slum redevelopment work has begun.”
However, Mumbai’s 12.4 million citizens send 9,000 metric tonnes of waste to this 134-hectare dumping ground every day. If one corner of the city wasn’t piling up this junk to a height of nearly 18-20 floors, it could accommodate almost 268 football fields or 30 per cent of the Bandra-Kurla Complex business district. This waste is unsegregated and some slum communities scavenge it for recyclable materials. Those who live around, suffer extreme health hazards.
It is worth mentioning that if people living in slums refuse to work for a day, life in Mumbai would come to a standstill.
Congress corporator Puspha Koli said, “People residing in slum areas near coastal areas of the city have to face severe hardships as garbage is not cleared. They fall ill. Contractors are not performing their work effectively and they fail to maintain cleanliness. The Shiv Sena ruled BMC is responsible for this.”Â
The unaffordable housing market in Mumbai and the failure of the state government to provide adequate housing for economically weaker sections of society has resulted in the spread of slums across the city. In the 19th century, as Mumbai became the hub of textile and emerged as the commercial capital of India, workers from various parts of the country flocked to Mumbai and had to stay in informal housing the slums. As the city continued to attract more and more people in search of a livelihood, the density of slums in Mumbai continued to increase.
