Case Study - Mumbai: A megacity in an emerging country

    Cards (33)

    • Mumbai's site
      The city of Mumbai lies on a peninsula, an old fishing port and swamp area, by the estuary of the Uthas River
    • Mumbai's port
      • It has grown round the estuary to become India's largest container port
      • Much of the city is low lying, just above sea level
    • Mumbai lies at 19% of the Equator, so it's tropical, with a monsoon between June and September. Torrential monsoon rains flood low lying roads and traffic can quickly come to a standstill
    • In 2015 the estimated population of Mumbai was 16 million, though its metropolitan area is far bigger
    • As it has grown, it has spread to the mainland to form a conurbation
    • Mumbai's metropolitan area includes Navi Mumbai, Thane, Bhiwandi, and Kalyan. In total, about 25 million people lived there in 2015
    • Mumbai
      • India's main commercial city in the state of Maharashtra which is India's richest state
      • India's biggest city, and in 2015 was the fourth biggest in the world
      • In 2012, it was also graded 'Alpha' as a world city because of its economic importance
    • Mumbai is well connected to other important economic locations e.g. Europe, China and Middle East
    • Mumbai's deep-water harbour
      • It has made it India's second biggest port
      • Large container ships can access Mumbai
      • Its waterfront is 10 km long, allowing huge port development, with manufacturing industries nearby
    • Internationally, Mumbai's location on India's west coast makes it closer to Europe via the Suez Canal than other Indian ports. Shipping times to Europe are five days shorter than from Kolkata on the east coast
    • By air, Mumbai is nine hours from UK airports. Its international airport handled 32 million passengers in 2014 (about half of London's Heathrow). It is a four hour fight to Singapore, and under three hours to Dubai or other Middle East destinations. Nationally, most other Indian cities are within two hours flight time. This makes it possible to travel on business to any of these cities and back in one day
    • Mumbai does not fit the typical structure of a developing world city
    • Mumbai's CBD
      • It is not in the centre, but near the island tip as it was built around the harbour
    • Some industrial areas are near the port, but land is so expensive that many have moved out to places such as Navi Mumbai, where land is cheaper
    • Residential areas in Mumbai
      • New Wealthy suburbs are all inner city areas along harbour or coastal waterfronts, close to the CBD
      • Middle-low income areas are in older parts of the city on the island, further from the CBD
      • Low-income groups live in 'chawls' - these are low quality multi-storey buildings. 80% of homes are single rooms
      • The poorest 60% of people live in informal housing. Most are squatter shacks on the urban-rural fringe, far from work in the centre
    • There are also thousands of people living on Mumbai's streets
    • Mumbai is the largest city and Megacity in India (by Population) with 18 million, but not the Capital
    • Natural increase
      Mumbai's population is growing due to many young people living in the city who are of childbearing age
    • National migration
      Mumbai's population is growing due to migration from rural areas since the 1970s
    • International migration
      Mumbai's population is growing due to foreigners working for foreign TNCs
    • Mumbai's population density is high at 20,600/km2. One of the highest in the world. As a result space is very expensive and the city is very congested
    • People have begun to move to newer and cheaper suburbs on the mainland where TNC's have located to avoid the congestion and high land costs in the city centre
    • Rural migrants are poor and often live in slums. These are close to where there are jobs and much cheaper to live. Slums are close to expensive areas in Mumbai
    • Job opportunities
      • Employment is the biggest reason for people to move to Mumbai from other parts of the country
      • Jobs for the less skilled: manufacturing e.g car production, chemical industries and textiles. These industries have now declined but low skilled tertiary jobs have replaced manufacturing, such as taxi drivers, cleaners and waiters
      • In Dharavi, Mumbai's largest slum there are thousands of small business run from small rooms, eg sweatshops, recycling waste and pottery. There are many opportunities for work in Mumbai whether you are highly educated or not
      • For the skilled, tertiary jobs in TNCS, e.g. IT, Finance and Call Centres
      • Mumbai's huge population creates a large demand for services and that further creates job opportunities for others
    • TNC opportunities
      A large pool of poor people also attracts TNCS looking for low skilled workers
    • Challenges caused in Mumbai
      • Housing shortages - New cheaper suburbs are now densely populated and now congested too. Rents are now very high all over Mumbai
      • Development of slums - Shortage of affordable housing has lead to further growth of slums. Those who cannot afford to live in slums live on the streets and have to pay pavement rent to the owners. 20,000 people live like this
      • Water supply - Access to standpipes is often only brief, so people queue at 5am. Lack of sanitation means slum residents have to use rivers and streams to get rid of their waster. Toilets are shared with 500 other people
      • Traffic - Increased car ownership (1.8million cars). 8 million people now use the trains which are overcrowded and dangerous. Mumbai's roads are often gridlocked
      • Strain on Infrastructure - Rapid Expansion has resulted in services (water and electricity supply can't keep up with the growing demand
      • Waste - The government cannot manage the increasing amount of waste disposal, so unskilled workers are paid to collect, sort and re-sell Mumbai's waste. 800m tonnes of untreated sewage, oil, metals and batteries, pollutes Mumbai's rivers
    • Despite Mumbai's economic growth, quality of life here is still quite low in comparison to other emerging countries
    • Facts about living in Mumbai
      • 40% live in slums
      • 20% live in chawls (old apartment blocks especially near the old port)
      • Only 30% live in middle class high rise flats
      • 60% work in the informal sector
    • Top Down Development
      An approach to development where decisions are made by government or large companies, sometimes with little consultation. Often involving large scale expensive projects
    • Bottom Up Development

      An approach to development that involves people and communities in decision-making, using local NGOs. Often involving small-scale projects for the poorest. Aimed at improving quality of life, not economic growth
    • Sustainable city
      A city that provides good quality of life for all its residents without using up resources in a way that means future city residents will have to accept lower quality of life
    • Top-down approach in Mumbai
      • Mumbai Monorail - Built to ease congestion. Advantages: reduces congestions and can be built over already built up areas and above roads and rail, fast travel, up and down gradents. Tickets are cheap. Disadvantage: Fewer passengers than hoped as route is not ideal for many as it does not go to the old city where many people work. Many tourists however are using it. Cost £310m
    • Bottom-up approach in Mumbai
      • SPARC community toilets - 800 toilet blocks throughout the city to provide safe and clean sanitation to slum residents. Advantages: Lit at night so safe for women. Separate toilets for children. Cleaned regularly, connected to the city's sewers with running water. Cheap to use 25p per family per month. Disadvantage: Many are of the opinion that safe and clean toilets should be funded and built by the government, not donations and locals