1. Report Name:
Slum Upgrading Programs and Disaster Resilience: A Case Study of
an Indian ‘Smart City’
Authors
Jessica Yu,, Harry Shannon, Andrea Bauman, Lisa Schwartz, Mihir Bhatt
Publish Year
2016
Problem statement
Disasters can destroy years of effort and labour, further perpetuating poverty for the poor and
most vulnerable, Even if disasters turn back the development clock, Nature of problems faced
by slum dwellers due to housing issues in the area of disaster risk reduction is scarce and these
disasters have adverse affect on slum dwellers.
Objective
The objective of this research is to identify slum residents’ current disaster management (DM)
strategies, their perceived needs, and preferences for infrastructural upgrades.
Methodology
Twenty-four interviews and nine focus groups discussions (FGDs) were conducted over a six-
week period.
The interviews ranged from 15 minutes to 1 hour.
A qualitative data analysis software package (NVivo 10,QSR International Inc., Burlington,
MA, USA) was used to manage the volume of data and facilitate in the development of
emergent codes.
Strategies
Protection from Water Leakages
Individuals cleaning Community Drainage Problems
Storage of Livelihood Goods
Extreme Heat: Use of Fans and Shade
Structural Adaptations for Earthquakes
Disaster Management Resource Centres
Political Representation for Community Problems
2. Findings
One important finding was that some physical and
non-physical infrastructure needs were not considered in traditional slum upgrading strategies.
In future studies, more longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate the hypothesis that SUPs
(Slum Upgrading Programs) can be used for disaster preparation and post-disaster recovery, as
well as for poverty.
Rehabilitation of slum
Slum rehabilitation can be defined as, “reconstruct the homes, improving the standard
of living of the group of people living under poor conditions of basic amenities like sufficient
living area and shelter, water, sanitation and electricity”. (R.R.Sorate1 et al. )
Slums are often defined as, “buildings and areas that are environmentally and structurally
deficient A result of multiple dispossession such as illegal land tenure, overcrowded deficient
environment and insufficient shelter, lack of basic facilities and people face the so many
problems and are the result of the gap between the demand and the legal and formal supply in
the housing market” (Chauhan, 1996). Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, India’s financial
capital, attracts people from all over the country ( Amey Z. Sheth*, et al).
Problem Statement:
Housing is the fundamental need of humans, cherished by The United Nations as it is
not only the right to have shelter but also to have “adequate housing” in terms of Availability
of services, facilities, infrastructure, affordability, accessibility ( Mary Shaw October 20, 2003)
However the condition of Bihar colony, Kotri is different, the condition of houses in area
shows that most of the homes are made by the residents of the area without any architectural
knowledge such as shape, design, orientation considerations. The houses are in very poor
condition there is no concept of landscaping which causes the dull environment and pollutants
such as dust, smell which directly effects health of residents.
1.3 Objectives:
1 To determine the housing condition at Bihar Colony.
2 To suggest some strategies for the improvement of housing conditions of Bihar Colony.
