Dharavi Slum

For the final part of the tour, we got back on the train and rode a couple of stops to visit Dharavi Slum, stopping for a much-needed coffee on the way. This slum is home to an estimated 2 million people, making it one of the largest slums in the world. Covering an area just half the size of New York's Central Park (2.2 square kilometres), it is the most densely populated place on earth!

Dharavi began in the 1890s in the time of the British Raj and has continued to grow ever since as people have flocked to the city from rural areas. It is now home to diverse communities of locals, Nepalis, and Chinese, as well as Indians from every state in the country. Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists all live alongside each other largely in communal harmony, although obviously tensions arise when so many people live in such cramped conditions in such close proximity.

Despite this, these communities are major, thriving informal economic hubs, generating roughly $1 billion annually through industries like leather, textiles, plastic recycling, and pottery. There are thousands of single-room factories and businesses that produce goods for local and global markets. Despite, significant overcrowding, limited waste management, zero privacy, and poor sanitation with limited access to toilets and water only coming into the outside taps between 5pm and 7pm every day, they represent a resilient, multicultural community in the heart of Mumbai.Read more