example of improvement

• dharavi is one of the largest urban slum settlements in the world
• the number of residents in dharavi is steadily increasing and is currently home to more than one million people into less than a square mile
• dharavi is located extremely close to Mumbais central business district and the slum settlement lies between the main sub-urban rail lines in Mumbai , which makes the land Dharavi lies on very valuable
• the quality in housing in Dharavi mainly consists of makeshift huts - which gradually become more stable the further into Dharavi you go
• these huts are overcrowded of a very poor quality and there are often problems living on the low lying marginal land in the wet monsoon season
• there is a lack of decent infrastructure, where there are roads that are very narrow
• there is limited access to basic services, rubbish is found everywhere and there are open sewers, so water supplies become contaminated
• at least 500 people share one public toilet between them, so many people go to the toilet in the street due to lack of facilities, which results in very dirty streets
• doctors have to deal with at least 4000 cases of typhoid a day
• however, people have a strong sense of community and there are often central social squares and informal shopping areas
• rapid urban growth is leading to an increase in the size of urban slums, and increasing the living conditions is a major challenge
• the mumbais slums rehabilitation authority proposes a 2 billion redevelopment project building 14 story apartments as accommodation for the residents of Dharavi
• developers will provide families that can prove residency since 2000, a new 300 square foot apartment in a block of flats
• the redevelopment plans will improve the life of the urban poor as they will have decent infrastructure and permanent, secure housing
• people will have better sanitation and less dirt and disease which will cause less strain on healthcare clinics and an increase on morality rate
• the housing being offered will not be good for their communal life and social interaction, and the residents would prefer smaller improvements to the existing sums, such as drainage