dharavi slum statistics

on our second-to-last day in mumbai, we went on a walking tour of the largest slum in the world: dharavi. although it's not the first place i'd choose to live, it wasn't as bad as one might think. we passed some 'sidewalk dwellings' on the way - which seemed like more of a plight than the organized, rather comfortable, neighborhood-feeling that we found in dharavi. our guide thomas had lots of information to share with us:

• there are 2,000 slums in mumbai, and about 55% of mumbaikers live in slums.
• dharavi houses 1 million in 2 square km
• a "slum" is any dwelling built illegally on government land. because there are so many people living in this particular slum, the government has provided electricity and (some toilets). if you can't beat 'em...
• the slum has a relatively low rate of crime - people are (surprisingly) employed
• plastic recycling, for example, is a tax-free, underground business in the slum. the workers make between $2 - 3 per day for 12 hours of work. the textile workers have it a little better for their skilled work: about $12 per day, but they also work more than 12 hours.
• life expectancy in dharavi is 50 years of age
• we saw some people in a canal picking for plastic to be recycled. it was a brown, murky, slow-moving piece of sludge, but the people picking rubbish from it didn't seem to notice. our guide informed us that there was, as our noses suspected, human and animal waste in the canal. mmm!
• almost half of the people use the common toilets provided by the government (it's a bring-your-own-water type of situation), and the rest use open land.
• population in dharavi is 20x denser than the rest of mumbai

and that's all folks! the group disbanded over a week ago now, with only dani remaining in the mountains in the far north. reverse culture shock hasn't been too much of a jolt this time around...although last week i opened my eyes in the early morning, to the thought: 'where am i??' the most surprising answer came: 'you're at home.' it was snuggly and cozy warm in the foreign land of my own bed...but the motherland still beckons :)