WASH resilience of families in Dharavi amidst the pandemic
This blog summarises a group exploration of urban resilience as part of the BLOXHUB Summer School on Urban Resilience 2020. Blog authored by Ermin Lucino, Shailendra K. Mandal, Javed Hussain, Gusti Ayu Ketut Surtiari
No nation was ready when Covid 19 disrupted the world we know. Rich and poor countries and communities were both affected by the pandemic. However, the poor were affected the most because of their higher vulnerability and lower capacity to recover from the disaster. A team composed of members from Pakistan, India, Philippines and Indonesia were chosen to participate in the on-line BLOXHUB Summer School on Urban Resilience 2020. We named our team named “PIPPI” and set out to analyse the urban slum system in the Global South amidst the pandemic as well as other disasters. Anchoring our objective with the vision of the New Urban Agenda and SDGs 6 and 11, we focused on slum communities’ access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
The context of Dharavi
Today, by the most conservative estimates, about 900 million people live in slums. But most experts agree that including different types of informal settlements, the number goes up to 1.6 billion — which represents 1/4 of the world’s urban population. By 2030, it’s estimated that it 1 in 4 people on the planet will live in a slum or other informal settlement. The team studied one of Asia’s largest slums — Dharavi Slum in India. The slum has a population of around 1 million inhabitants occupying an estimated area of only 2.1 square kilometers. Its population density is approximately 277,136 people per square km which is almost 30 times of New York City, one of the most populated cities in the world. WASH is already a complex and life-threatening issues in Dharavi slum even before the pandemic arrives. Dharavi has severe problems with public health. Water access derives from public standpipes stationed throughout the slum. Additionally, with the limited lavatories they have, they are extremely filthy and broken down to the point of being unsafe. Mahim Creek is a local river that is widely used by local residents for urination and defecation causing the spread of contagious diseases. The open sewers in the city drain to the creek causing a spike in water pollutants, septic conditions and foul odours. Due to the air pollutants, terrible diseases such as lung cancer, tuberculosis, and asthma are common among residents. On April 2020, Covid 19 positive cases rose in the city and the slum became its focal point. The city administration planned an intervention strategy employing community participation and partnership to contain the virus in the Dharavi slum. The community practiced the four T’s (Tracing, Tracking, Testing and Treating) in addressing the virus. The positive cases subsequently decreased in the city.
Exploring WASH issues from the urban planner’s perspective
From our group work, mapping and research, we learned that with partnerships between the City administration and local communities, the deadly virus can be managed and contained. The Dharavi Slum’s case sends a very strong message to the society and people around the globe the importance of forging partnerships and community participation. The case inspired us to take the perspective of a City Planner in analyzing the Slum WASH System. Aside from WASH, we also considered cross cutting considerations such as Human Rights, Gender Equality, Cultural Context, Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development. Our team conducted a stakeholder analysis which showed that city planners can play an important role in WASH issues.
Mapping WASH challenges
To better understand WASH challenges in Dharavi, we used different mapping tools to chart the systemic issues at play. We identified the main objective for intervention, namely access to water, access to toilets and hygiene practices. Based on the system map, we developed a potential intervention process to support change on the ground.
This helped us reflect on what co-benefits and positive externalities might be fostered to increase local resilience and reduce vulnerability in order to provide WASH services. Our team took into consideration that the system is continuously subjected to population growth and urbanization, inequality and poverty, and a chronic lack of investments. The general strategies we identified include community organizsing and partnering with other stakeholders, Information Education Campaign (IEC) and Enactment of Local (City) Laws. Our team identified the different roles of a city planner and identified specific activities within the planner’s mandate, responsibilities, and sphere of influence.
No nation was ready when Covid 19 disrupted the world we know. The virus did not infect people based on ethnicity or socio-economic status. We learned that although there’s many systems in the world, we all belong to one system —the planet. To be resilient and thrive in the face of challenges, we must cooperate and collaborate with each other.
