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Slum tourism - can it rescue the world's most deprived areas?

19/4/2018

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Asia's second largest slum, Dharavi, lies on prime property right in the middle of Mumbai. It is home to more than a million people. Many are second-generation residents, whose parents moved in years ago. Dharavi is one of the most densely populated slums in the world, with a pop. den. of about 250,000 per km2. In Mumbai, where house rents are among the highest in India, Dharavi provides a cheap and affordable option to those who move to Mumbai and have a small wage. Dharavi is located between Mumbai's two main rail lines, lots of people find it to be convenient for work. The slum has a large number of small-scale, informal industries, that produce  garments, export leather goods, plastic or pottery. The manufacturing units are spread across the slum, they provide job opportunities for many. The government has plans to redevelop Dharavi and transform it into a modern township, complete with proper housing and shopping complexes, hospitals and schools. 
There is a housing shortage in Mumbai, due to the fact that, as more and more people move to Mumbai, less affordable space is available for those who can't afford the high rents. A solution has been high-rise buildings, where more families can live on a small space. However, even these are too expensive for some, and they have to move to the Dharavi Slum. The slums inhabitants have to live in contemporary huts, pollution and sanitation are major problems.
Compared to the poshest central Delhi parts, housing prices in India’s financial capital Mumbai are more expensive. One of the major features affecting this, is Mumbai's geography. There isn’t much land area for expansion or land development in the city. 
This limits supply. And when demand overtakes supply, prices rise. Bad infrastructure and use of land, have played a key role in this problem, but there are also solutions. "Vision Mumbai" plans to use the land, which is worth 8 billion, and build high-rise buildings. A certain percentage (or 1.1 million) of these apartments also needs to be affordable, so that those currently residing in the slum can have better living conditions. This project plans to reduce Mumbai's slum inhabitants by 90%. 
The touristic sector is plays an instrumental role in helping the slum improve in many ways.  
Putting a spotlight on the dyre situation in the Dharavi slum might force the government to act faster while improving the slum. Slum tourism also provides an alternative income for many locals, who can offer touristic tours, and are given an chance to work their way out of poverty.   
Tourism betters educational possibilities in slums such as Dharavi, as money gathered from tourism would flow into educational purposes to increase literacy rates,  living conditions and give everybody currently residing in the a chance to lead a life like we do.
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