The industry going on there was amazing. Recyclable garbage from all over the world is sent there, and piece by piece broken down by type of plastic or metal, or component part, and recycled. Each factory is only a few hundred square feet where men work in incredible heat for 12 hours a day, earning 150 rupees a day (about 3 dollars). Paint cans are recycled by burning out the paint (the workers here breath toxic fumes all day), and then the cans our pounded back into shape, painted, re-labeled and sold back to western manufacturers. Here is where much of the Indian cotton is made that is used in much of the clothing that is bought around the world. The cloth is hand stamped and dyed. leather, soap, you name it...this slum is the heart of Mumbai's industrial output.
The residential areas were sad to see...each family (usually 6-8 people)living in 100 square feet. Houses stacked on top of others, and the space in between was only about 2 feet wide. Open sewage drains are everywhere. The slum has electricity and water for three hours a day is provided by the government. The people were friendly, and children loved to practice their English by asking us our names and where we were from.
The slums were formed over a hundred years ago, when the British still ruled, as they housed the Indian workers who served the Fort here. As the city has expanded, more affordable housing is replaced and the poor are displaced to the slums. Though Dharavi is the largest slum in Asia, it is one of 19 in Mumbai. There are also pavement dwellers. These are people who have built small shacks on the sidewalks, where they live and work. There are a number of laws that have been implemented to protect the slum residents. If you are living in a slum house built before 1995 (most are), if the government tears down your shack, they replace it with a new government house of 180 square feet. Interestingly, most people who receive government housing, rent out the new house, and move into another slum. The rental income then subsidizes their meager incomes.
Before entering the slum, we passed by the world's largest outdoor laundry where almost all of Mumbai's laundry (from all hotels, restaurants, etc, plus most peoples clothes) is done. These concrete washing tubs (hundreds of them) were built 150 years ago! People rent a tub for 30 rupees a month, and that becomes their work. millions of pieces of laundry are washed here, all tagged, sorted by colour, washed, spun, and hung to dry, and then returned to the shop they were picked up at the night before.
After the slum we saw the other side of town where there were nicer apartment buildings, beautiful parks, etc. The view from there was deceiving, as looking back over the city you would never know that over 19,000,000 people were living in poverty - in slums, decapitated housing, and on the streets.
We also saw temples and mosques and many old buildings, including the central train station which is a UNESCO world heritage site, and visited the Ghandi museum, which was very interesting.
When we were at the train station, I was interviewed by the press for my views on capital punishment. Apparently, one of the Pakistani men who committed the horrendous terror attack here 2 years ago, where I think a dozen Canadians were killed, was convicted and sentenced to be hung. The first hanging here in India in 15 years. It has to pass the highest court next, but people here were so happy at the ruling that there was a large crowd that gathered outside the hotel where the judge was staying. They brought music and flowers. It just so happened that that hotel was right next to ours, so we were able to view the whole spectacle.
This afternoon we fly to Kochi, where it is a little hotter (God help us)...and then the next day we begin our 2 week GAP adventure to see the best of southern India.
Keep the pictures coming!
ReplyDeleteStephane