India Has the Highest Number of Slum Clusters

Syllabus :GS1/Social Issues 

In News

• According to a 2024 study, over 158 million people live in slums located in floodplains in South Asia, with India having the maximum share.
  • Around 40% of slum dwellers in India reside in urban and suburban areas.

Growth of Slums 

• Slums are densely populated urban areas characterised by poor-quality housing, the lack of adequate living space, public services, and accommodating large numbers of informal residents with insecure tenure. 
• According to UN-Habitat (2021), slum dwellers across the globe have increased from 980 million in 2010 to 1,059 million in 2020, accounting for 24.2% of the world’s urban population.
• India’s slum population in 2020 is estimated at 236 million suggesting that nearly half of its urban population lives in slums (UN-Habitat 2021).

Factors Driving Slums

• Rapid Urbanization: Massive rural-to-urban migration for livelihood and better opportunities leads to unplanned settlements.
• Lack of Affordable Housing: Insufficient low-cost housing forces poor migrants to settle in informal slums.
• Poverty and Unemployment: Economic insecurity prevents access to formal housing markets.
• Land Scarcity and High Land Prices: Urban land shortages and expensive prices restrict housing availability for the poor.
• Inadequate Urban Planning and Governance: Poor infrastructure, lack of formal tenure, and weak municipal services drive informal settlements.
• Social Exclusion: Marginalized groups face discrimination, limiting their access to decent housing.
• Environmental Factors: Slums often develop in hazard-prone areas like floodplains (e.g., Ganga delta) due to low-cost land availability.

 Impacts and Concerns 

• Health and Sanitation Risks: Overcrowding, poor sanitation, and lack of clean water cause public health issues.
• Vulnerability to Disasters: Slums are disproportionately affected by floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related disasters.
• Social Challenges: Slum dwellers face insecure tenure, social stigma, poor education, and limited access to services.
• Environmental Degradation: Waste accumulation and lack of green space degrade urban environments.
• Economic Impact: Public-Private Partnerships models for slum rehabilitation have failed to attract developers due to low commercial viability and regulatory hurdles.

Way Ahead / Solutions

• Holistic Slum Rehabilitation: Integrate housing, infrastructure, livelihood, and social services with community engagement.
• Legal and Institutional Clarity: Streamline land rights, tenure security, and use clear frameworks for slum upgrading.
• Innovative Financing: Utilize Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Transferable Development Rights (TDR), and micro-financing to fund redevelopment.
• Inclusive Urban Planning: Adapt local models respecting socio-cultural and economic diversity of slum communities.
• Decentralized Infrastructure: Cost-effective sanitation, water, and energy decentralized systems tailored for slum areas.
• Community Participation: Engage slum residents in planning and implementation to ensure acceptance and cultural appropriateness.

Source: TH