[Urbanstudy] India’s City Slums Can House All Of Italy

[Vinay Baindur]

http://www.indiaspend.com/cover-story/indias-city-slums-can-house-all-of-italy-90464







India’s City Slums Can House All Of ItalyPrachi Salve, March 16, 2015

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[image: 53703600_e3bf9de344_o]



It is reasonably well known that 31% of India’s population, or 377 million
out of 1.2 billion people (when last counted in 2011), lived in urban areas.



What is not as well-known is that nearly 17% of this urban population, or
more than 65 million people, lives in slums, a number that has more than
doubled over three decades.



More Indians now live in slums than the number of people in Italy or the
UK. The 30-year rise is the equivalent of adding the current population of
Canada or Tanzania or two Syrias.



The Census <http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-Documents/Slum-26-09-13.pdf> of
India defines a slum as a residential area where “dwellings are unfit for
human habitation [due to] dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangements
and design of such buildings, narrowness or faulty arrangement of street,
lack of ventilation, light, or sanitation facilities or any combination of
these factors”.



The number of urban poor has fallen 21% over six years, according to
poverty estimates <http://planningcommission.nic.in/news/pre_pov2307.pdf> of
the erstwhile Planning Commission.



Despite falling poverty, slums have been increasing in cities because they
provide housing to millions who are not officially regarded as poor.



Up to 53 million of 65 million slum-dwellers live below the poverty line,
defined as the ability to spend Rs 1,000 for a family of four every month,
according to the Planning Commission. The other 12 million belong to what
are called “economically weaker sections”, with the ability to spend less
than Rs 8,000 per family per month.



Up to 88% of “economically weaker sections” and 11% of “lower-income
groups”, (with the ability to spend between Rs 8,000 to Rs 16,000 per
family per month), face housing shortages, according to the Ministry
<http://www.joneslanglasalle.co.in/india/en-gb/Research/Affordable_Housing_in_India_2012.pdf?27e6f554-2aa8-4864-8bc3-9127a4b902bc>
of
Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.



The housing shortage is now 19 million units (assuming a family of four,
that would be 76 million people without homes and assuming a family of
five, 95 million people), according to the ministry.



[image: 1desk]
*Source: Census
<http://mospi.nic.in/mospi_new/upload/sel_socio_eco_stats_ind_2001_28oct11.pdf>*



*As more Indians flock to cities, slums proliferate*



The growth of slums is highest in the five states with the highest urban
populations and is correlated with housing
<http://www.indiaspend.com/snapshots/indias-new-urban-misery-housing-poverty>
shortages
and urban poverty.



[image: 2desk]
*Source: Census
<http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/PCA_Highlights/pca_highlights_file/India/Chapter-1.pdf>,
Poverty
estimates <http://www.planningcommission.gov.in/news/pre_pov2307.pdf>*



Almost 35% of the urban population in Andhra Pradesh lives in slums,
followed by Maharashtra with 24%. So, about one in four Maharashtrian urban
dwellers lives in a slum.



By 2020, India’s urban population is expected to increase to 590 million
<http://www.urbanindia.nic.in/programme/uwss/MGI_india_urbanization_fullreport.pdf>.
The number of towns that reported slums has increased to 2,613 of a total
of 4,041 statutory–or officially defined–towns of India in 2011, a 50%
increase over 10 years.



Put another way, out of 78.7 million urban households, 13.7 million
households live in slums, which is almost 17% of the urban population. Of
these 13.7 million households, 38% (5.2 million) live in million-plus
cities. The majority stay in one-room houses, with four or more members.



The government makes estimates of the housing shortage by adding the number
of families residing in “unacceptable (old and dilapidated) houses”,
families residing in “unacceptable physical and social conditions” and
families without homes.



There is a clear link between urban poverty, housing shortages and a rising
slum population. For example, Maharashtra has the highest slum population
(10 million), the second highest number of people below the poverty line
and the second-highest housing shortage, of about 1.9 million houses
.
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