Dharavi

In the 18th century, Dharavi was an island with a mangrove swamp. It was a sparsely populated village before the late 19th century, inhabited by Koli fishers. It was then referred to as Koliwada. The most polluting industries were tanneries, and the first tannery moved from peninsular Bombay into Dharavi in 1887. People who worked with leather, typically a profession of the lowest Hindu castes and of Muslim Indians, moved to the village. Other early settlers included the Kumbhars, a large Gujarati community of potters. The colonial government granted them a 99-year land-lease in 1895. Rural migrants looking for jobs poured into Bombay, and its population soared past one million. Other artisans, including embroidery workers from Uttar Pradesh, started the ready-made garments trade. Starting in the 1950s, proposals for Dharavi's redevelopment were periodically floated, but most of these plans failed due to lack of financial banking and/or political support. Redevelopment plans There have been various plans since 1997 to redevelop Dharavi along the lines of slums in Hong Kong, such as Tai Hang. In 2004, the cost of redevelopment was estimated to be . A redevelopment plan managed by the American-trained architect Mukesh Mehta In 2008, German students Jens Kaercher and Lucas Schwind won a Next Generation prize for their innovative redevelopment strategy designed to protect Dharavi's residents from needing to relocate. In 2019, a Dubai-based firm, SecLink Group, proposed redeveloping the slum into a completely new area. In 2023, it became known that the Indian billionaire Gautam Adani intends to work on the reconstruction of Dharavi. Mumbai authorities estimated the total cost of the work to be $2.4 billion. As of April 2024, a survey was being conducted by the Adani Group to prepare Dharavi residents for the work. In December 2024, the company received a tender from the Government of Maharashtra to proceed with the work, after being challenged by the SecLink Group. ==Demographics==

The total population of Dharavi is unknown due to rapid changes in the number of migrant workers coming from neighbouring Gujarat state, though voter turnout for the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election was 119,092 (yielding a 60% rate). Some sources suggest it ranges from 300,000 to about a million. With the slum spread over , it is estimated to have a population density of 869,565 people per square mile. Among its inhabitants, about 20% work on animal skin processing, tanneries, and leather goods. Other artisans specialise in pottery work, textile goods manufacturing, retail and trade, distilleries, and other caste-specific professions—all as small-scale household operations. With a literacy rate of 69%, Dharavi is the most literate slum in India. The western edge of Dharavi is where its original inhabitants, the Kolis, reside. The slum includes speakers of various languages, such as Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu. Residents include migrants from rural regions of many different states across India. About 29% of the population of Dharavi is Muslim. The Christian population is estimated to be about 6%, while the rest are predominantly Hindus, with some Buddhists and other minority religions. The slum has numerous mosques, temples, and churches. ==Location and characteristics==

Dharavi is considered one of the largest slums in the world. It is a large area situated between Mumbai's two main suburban railway lines, the Western and Central Railways. It is also adjacent to Mumbai Airport. To the west are Mahim and Bandra, and to the north lies the Mithi River, which empties into the Arabian Sea through the Mahim Creek. The area of Antop Hill lies to the east, while Matunga is to the south. Due to its location and poor sewerage and drainage systems, Dharavi is particularly vulnerable to flooding during the wet season. ==Economy==

In addition to the traditional pottery and textile industries in Dharavi, While it is a major industry in the neighborhood, it is also reported to be a source of heavy pollution. and 15,000 single-room factories. to over 1 billion per year. ==Utility services==

Potable water to Dharavi and the rest of Mumbai is supplied by the MCGM. However, a large amount of water is lost due to theft, illegal connections, and leakage. Cooking gas is supplied in the form of LPG cylinders sold by state-owned oil companies as well as through piped natural gas, supplied by Mahanagar Gas Limited. Sanitation issues Dharavi has severe problems with public health. Water access derives from public standpipes stationed throughout the slum. Additionally, lavatories are filthy and damaged to the point of being unsafe. Locals urinate and defecate into Mahim Creek, leading to the spread of contagious diseases. ==Epidemics and other disasters==

Dharavi has experienced a long history of epidemics and natural disasters, sometimes with significant loss of life. The first plague to devastate the slum, along with other settlements of Mumbai, happened in 1896, when nearly half of the population died. A series of plagues and other epidemics continued to affect Dharavi, and Mumbai in general, for the next 25 years, with high rates of mortality. Dysentery epidemics have been common throughout the years, explained by the high population density of Dharavi. Other reported epidemics include typhoid, cholera, leprosy, amoebiasis, and polio. In 1986, a cholera epidemic was reported, with most patients being children. In recent years, cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis have been reported in Dharavi. Fires and other disasters are common. For example, in 2005, massive floods caused deaths and extensive property damage. In January 2013, a fire destroyed many slum properties and caused injuries. The COVID-19 pandemic also affected the slum, with the first case being reported in April 2020. ==In the media==

Dharavi was used as the backdrop to the 2008 British film Slumdog Millionaire. It has also been depicted in a number of Indian films, including Deewaar (1975), Nayakan (1987), Salaam Bombay! (1988), Parinda (1989), Dharavi (1992), Bombay (1995), Ram Gopal Varma's "Indian Gangster Trilogy" (1998–2005), the Sarkar series (2005–2017), Footpath (2003), Black Friday (2004), Mumbai Xpress (2005), No Smoking (2007), Traffic Signal (2007), Aamir (2008), Mankatha (2011), Thalaivaa (2013), Bhoothnath Returns (2014), Kaala (2018), and Gully Boy (2019). Dharavi, Slum for Sale (2009), is a German documentary film by Lutz Konermann and Rob Appleby. In a programme aired in the United Kingdom in January 2010, Kevin McCloud and Channel 4 presented a two-part series titled Slumming It, which centered around Dharavi and its inhabitants. The poem "Blessing" by Imtiaz Dharker is about Dharavi not having enough water. The 2010 science fiction novel For the Win by Cory Doctorow is partially set in Dharavi. In 2014, Belgian researcher Katrien Vankrunkelsven made a 22-minute film about the slum, titled The Way of Dharavi. Hitman 2, a video game released in 2018, featured the slums of Mumbai in one of its missions. ==See also==