Mumbai Slums

It is said that India wants to get rid of the slums because it embarrasses them.

But should they get rid of them?

Read more to find out!

The most reputed slums are the Mumbai slums. And the well-known one in Mumbai is called Dharavi, which is one of the biggest slums in the world! The movie Slumdog Millionaire was partly shot at Dharavi.

Mumbai Slums -- Image credit: tressugar.com

In Dharavi, 57.000 homes are crammed together. Large families have a living space of 2,2 square meters. If the inhabitants are lucky, they have a toilet and fresh water.

Ironically, Dharavi pulls in approximately
690 000 US dollars a year.

This is how:

Most of Mumbai's trash comes to Dharavi. But instead of doing nothing with the garbage and let it rot -- they recycle it!

Recycling means work for an estimated number of 200 000 people!

They recycle carton, plastic, buckets of tin and pieces of clothing and much more. Many things are fixed. And the things they fix are products "made in Dharavi," which in fact is of rather good quality. You can buy ceramics, clothing, handbags, sandals etc.

Slum Tours

Slum tours are a pretty new concept, but a popular one for backpackers and tourists in Mumbai.

The most popular travel agency which offers slum tours to Dharavi is Reality Tours and Travel.

The main purpose of these tours is to change or break down the negative view of the biggest slum in Mumbai. I mean, there's actually something good happening inside Dharavi's walls…

I'll give you 3 good reasons as to why you should book a slum tour:

Mumbai Slums -- Image credit: business.rediff.com

1. It's a one in a lifetime experience!

   You get to observe how the people of Dharavi live, work, eat and drink.

2. It's cheap and you're contributing to the local community!

   The cheapest slum tour you can get via Reality Tours and Travel is around
   8-9 US dollars, and Reality Tours' profit goes to local welfare-projects.

3. You'll never encounter anything as unique as Dharavi

   Back in the 1800s it was a mangrove swamp where Koli fishermen (Koli is an ethnic group) used to live.

   Then the swamp was filled with rotten fish and trash. And this led to the fishermen's abandonment of Dharavi.

   As you can imagine, this opened up a lot of space. Eventually thousands of people from Gujarat moved to Dharavi to establish a ceramics business, Tamils came from the south and started tanneries and travelers from Uttar Pradesh came to the area to be part of the rising textile industry.

   All of this made Dharavi one of the unique slums in the world.

You`re done with Mumbai Slums, where do you want to go next?

Back to Mumbai?

Hungry? Click here to find some delicious food in Mumbai.

Cheap Mumbai shopping? Get over here!

Looking for a place to party in Mumbai?

Click here to read about attractions in Mumbai.

Return from Mumbai Slums to Backpacking Tips Asia Homepage.