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World Habitat Day
Phenomenal Urban Growth
CHALLENGE OF SLUMS & SQUATTERS
By Dhurjati Mukherjee
New Delhi, October 01, 2007
By the year 2008, more than half the world’s population –
3.3 billion people – will for the fist time be living in
cities and towns, a number expected to increase to 5 billion
by the year 2030. The surge in the urban population is
unstoppable, says a recent report, “State of the World’s
Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth”, of
the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) and its author
George Martin.
Rapid urbanization in the world has been a phenomenon with
serious attendant problems. Poverty is increasing more rapidly
in urban areas and governments need to plan effectively for
shelter and other basic necessities for the poor and deprived
sections of society. In addition, the problem of urbanization
is compounded in Third World countries, where physical
infrastructure in most urban centres happens to be extremely
poor.
The result of high urban growth has its impact --- an increase
in slums and squatter settlements, which house a billion
people, a sixth of the world’s population, out of which 90 per
cent are in the Third World. In sub-Saharan Africa, over seven
out of 10 urban dwellers live in slums. The region’s slum
population has almost doubled in just 15 years, reaching 200
million in 2005. The situation is far better in Latin America,
where urbanization took place earlier than in other developing
regions, many countries or cities simply ignored or tried
fruitlessly to retard urban growth.
In Asia, around 30 to 35 per cent of urban dwellers live in
slum-type settlements. The condition of these areas is indeed
depressing-- lacking basic necessities and entrenched in
poverty and squalor. While most Asian countries have high
economic growth, it is distressing to note that such large
percentage of the population lives in such inhuman conditions.
It reveals a lack of concern of most governments towards
improving basic environmental conditions must for healthy
living.
Inequality has been greatly manifest in cities where pockets
of affluence co-exist with areas of squalor and deprivation.
Though developmental authorities and municipal bodies are
making efforts to improve conditions of the settlements, these
are no match to the monumental task involved and the resources
required. Moreover, the continuous migration from rural areas
has further compounded the problem with city population
growing at a very fast pace.
After the Habitat-II Conference at Istanbul in 1996, which
promised “adequate shelter” and “sustainable human settlements
development” for all, Targets 10 and 11 of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDG) urged UN member states to “halve by
2015 the proportion of people without access to safe drinking
water and basic sanitation.” In addition, it urged “a
significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million
slum dwellers by 2020”.
Again, at the World Summit in 2005, leaders from across the
globe resolved (No. 56(m) “to achieve significant improvement
in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020,
recognizing the urgent need for the provision of increased
resources for affordable housing and housing-related
infrastructure, prioritizing slum prevention and slum
upgrading and to encourage support for the United Nations
Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation and its slum
upgrading facility”.
A year later, in December 2006, the first Asia Pacific
Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development on:
‘Vision for Sustainable Urbanization in Asia Pacific 2020’ in
Delhi, deliberated on emerging problems. Asia is home to half
of the world’s slum population, and with this segment ever
increasing, it was imperative to discuss the problem in one
single forum and evolve a common strategy. Recognizing that
providing housing and related services continues to be a big
challenge in many Asian countries, the Conference reiterated
the need to undertake number of measures. These include:
Promote affordable housing through low-cost construction
technology, low-cost service delivery etc; make available
serviced land through various measures (including land banks)
at the right time and right price; encourage alternative house
building techniques and appropriate standards through building
centres to reduce construction cost; enforce the possibility
of introduction of subsidies for the poor in some way or the
other; establish risk management facilities to attract the
private sector into housing, specially for the poor; and
introduce slum upgrading through community participation and
direct involvement.
As regards India, the people living in slums, squatter
settlements and refugee colonies comprise 30 to 32 per cent of
the urban population. Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi have a large
segment of this population and improving their conditions has
been a matter of concern for the State governments. As per
present estimates, Maharashtra had the highest slum population
(around 18 to 20 million) followed by Andhra Pradesh (10
million) and West Bengal and U. P. (around 8 to 9 million).
Obviously, the high population growth in these metropolises
has put tremendous pressure on the local authorities,
incapable of handling huge influx. Around 35 per cent of the
population of Kolkata lives in slums while it is around 50 per
cent in Mumbai. Apart from the total slum population of both
Mumbai and Kolkata, which is over 8-9 million (or 16-18 lakh
families), there are about another 4 million squatter
settlements.
In the last few years, schemes such as the National Slum
Development Project (NSDP) and Valmike Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY)
have made a big dent towards upgradation of urban slums by
providing physical amenities and looking after social needs.
In 2005-06, the two schemes were combined to form a new scheme
called “Integrated Housing & Slum Development Programme” (IHSDP),
which undertakes slum development in a holistic manner.
With resources becoming a major problem, the Union Government
formulated the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM),
launched in December 2005. The project envisages Rs
50,000-crore Central assistance and will be implemented in 63
cities, including 28 million plus cities over a seven-year
period. The rationale being that individual cities are
currently inefficient both in raising resources to meet their
needs and in governance.
At the same time, a significant amount is to be earmarked for
basic services for the urban poor, which gives hope of a
significant change in the living conditions of these dwellers.
In fact, it is gratifying to note that the JNNURM would have
one submission on basic services. However, while
decentralization has been accepted in letter and spirit, the
JNNURM has indicated once again that the ‘Centre knows best’
approach would be followed, which is a cause for concern. It
needs to be stressed that development of city infrastructure
should emerge after a debate between all the stakeholders,
including slum dwellers, who constitute around 35 per cent of
the population.
Another aspect that has perturbed a section of sociologists,
planners and social activists is the demand for urban land to
measure up to global standards so that investment flows into
high-end sectors. If slum lands are taken away and flats
constructed for them, how will the poor carry on their trade
and earn their livelihood? The Mission is silent about this.
It goes without saying that the challenge of slum development
is indeed quite critical thanks to the dimension of the
problem and resources needed to accomplish the task. As is
generally agreed, “plans and programmes drawn up by the
Government so far have not effectively hit the target”.
As has been emphasized repeatedly by experts, the involvement
of NGOs and the private sector is a must for upgradation of
settlements to yield effective results. Various Five-Year Plan
documents have explicitly recognized the importance of
involving NGOs in the planning, implementation of anti-poverty
and minimum needs programme. These include environmental
improvement of slum areas.
A beginning has already been made in Dharavi area of Mumbai.
Each resident family is being given a 225 sq. ft. apartment
free of cost, with a portion of the surplus land being used
for commercial purposes. The Maharashtra government has taken
a commendable initiative as its Slum Rehabilitation Scheme,
started in 1991, has gained momentum in the last five-seven
years. According to reports, “so far 280 Slum Rehabilitation
Schemes have been completed, providing self-contained
rehabilitation tenements to about 62,000 families of slum
dwellers. And 626 schemes are at various stages of completion
and will provide for decent housing for another 162,000
families of slum dwellers”.
In another exemplary instance, 96 pavement dweller families of
Ritchie Street, Chennai have been rehabilitated in
multi-storied buildings. They moved into their new apartments
in February 2001. This was possible thanks to the efforts of
CODIAC, an NGO and an Rs 60 lakhs interest-free loan from
German donor agency EZE and HUDCO’s loan of Rs 25,000 to each
family.
In Kolkata, evicted squatters have been rehabilitated in an
area (Nonadanga) and given apartments at very low cost. Around
300 families who had formed a cooperative are now enjoying the
privacy of an apartment (of around 250 sq. ft). Such
initiatives are needed in many other cities, so that squatters
can live a dignified existence. Slums need to be upgraded with
minimum facilities of water, sanitation, education and health.
It is imperative to keep in mind that the right to shelter has
been recognized world over. As such, in any urban development
policy, the needs of those living in slums and slummish-type
settlements have to get priority. Proper rehabilitation is
vital when relocation is planned. City development has to be
integrated with social and economic development, not just for
the rich but for the poor too. This should not be forgotten by
the urban planners, whether in India or elsewhere. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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