Dharavi-An overview
Dharavi is located on the northernmost tip of Mumbai island City, close to Mahim creek. The Portuguese were the first colonists to stake their claim to the seven islands of Bombay in the 16th century: they built a small fort and church at Bandra, on the opposite shore from Dharavi. The growth of Dharavi is closely interwoven with the pattern of migration into Bombay.
In the 18th century, Dharavi was an island with a predominantly mangrove swamp. First tannery moved into Dharavi in 1887. Slowly, people who worked with leather moved into Dharavi. The Kumbhars, a large Gujarati community of potters moved to Dharavi in 1895, as soft soil of Mithi river was very useful.
Other artisans, like embroidery workers from Uttar Pradesh, started the ready-made garments trade. The living quarters and small scale factories grew haphazardly, without provision for sanitation, drains, safe drinking water, roads or other basic services
Dharavi has an active informal economy in which numerous household enterprises employ many of the slum residents. In addition to the traditional pottery and textile industries, it has large recycling industry of scrap metals, plastic, etc. Further many are employed in food processing industry, small scale engineering industries, leather products, jewellery, various accessories, etc.
Majority of land ownership is with the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC/MCGM) and other Government entities. Slum dwellers squatted on these lands and built hutments in haphazard manner. Gross plot area of Dharavi Notified area is approx. 259.54 Ha including railway land.
So as to take care of the slum dwellers an Act called The Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971 was passed. Improvement works were defined therein. A census of hutments was carried out in 1976 and photo-passes were issued to slum families. Its people were provided with taps, toilets and electrical connections as part of slum improvement measures.