Egypt's FEC, TRAIN partner to support food exporters    Spot Gold, futures slips on Thursday, July 17th    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Egypt expresses condolences to Iraq over fire tragedy    Egypt, Oman discuss environmental cooperation    Egypt's Environment Minister attends AMCEN conference in Nairobi    At London 'Egypt Day', Finance Minister outlines pro-investment policies    Sukari Gold Mine showcases successful public–private partnership: Minister of Petroleum    Egypt's FRA chief vows to reform business environment to boost investor confidence    Egyptian, Belarusian officials discuss drug registration, market access    Syria says it will defend its territory after Israeli strikes in Suwayda    Pakistan names Qatari royal as brand ambassador after 'Killer Mountain' climb    Health Ministry denies claims of meningitis-related deaths among siblings    Sri Lanka's expat remittances up in June '25    EU–US trade talks enter 'decisive phase', German politician says    Egypt's Health Min. discusses drug localisation with Sandoz    Needle-spiking attacks in France prompt government warning, public fear    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Bulldozers can't stop slums
Published in Daily News Egypt on 08 - 06 - 2009

After treading the red carpet at the Oscars in Los Angeles in February, the child stars of "Slumdog Millionaire are on the streets: Mumbai authorities have demolished their flimsy shelters only three months after promising them real houses. Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Rubina Ali Qureshi are just two of some 60 million slum-dwellers in India and their Garib Nagar and Barat are just two of about 52,000 slums.
The film's director, Danny Boyle, has just intervened to help the children but the problem is bad government policies - nothing that his charity or their bulldozers, large wads of cash or grandiose public schemes can solve.
Dharavi, where "Slumdog Millionaire was filmed, has a million people in less than a square mile in the heart of Mumbai. It too is threatened with "slum rehabilitation by the same authorities that perpetuate the problem.
Campaigners complain constantly about the squalid conditions while governments promise constantly to improve the lives of the 55 percent of Mumbaians who live in slums. Very little has ever materialized.
But for the inhabitants, slums, unlike equally poor rural areas, offer immediate opportunities for families to lift themselves out of poverty.
Dharavi grew from a fishing village as job-seekers flocked to Mumbai. Temporary shelters became permanent homes. Today, its economy generates between half and one billion US dollars thanks to the recycling business, tanneries and plenty more - although little more than a few dollars a month stay in workers' pockets.
Of course, Dharavi is a huge embarrassment to the authorities - a reminder of the poverty afflicting just under half of India's population and close to Mumbai's business district and the airport.
Indian authorities have tried ignoring slums or removing them in a cycle of fear, corruption or neglect.
So it isn't hard to understand why their denizens distrust the latest, multi-billion-dollar, Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP). A private developer promises to bulldoze Dharavi and rehouse the inhabitants in 225sq.ft. (30m2) apartments and give workshops a space too.
But the project has been marred by delays, developers backing out and anger from slum-dwellers. They fear much of the land will be sold and be unaffordable to them. Those many residents who use their homes as their workplace struggle to see how they will fit businesses like pottery into such tiny apartments.
When designed and driven by politicians and bureaucrats, housing plans frequently prove counterproductive, even in wealthy countries - just look at urban projects around the USA. Grandiose visions of "urban space rarely meet the needs of actual people.
Worse, in a country where rights are for sale, there is no guarantee that all families will be rehoused. India's slum-dweller associations and civil rights groups have denounced numerous redevelopment projects, including Dharavi's, as corrupt deals between politicians and business developers.
The root cause of slums is not unexpected population growth or shortage of land: it is a double plague of a lack of property rights and poor planning policies - from Kenya to Brazil.
When people own their property, they have incentives to improve it and they can get loans for those improvements: property rights beget capital, which begets innovation and investment, which beget wealth.
Poor countries rarely allow secure title to land: sometimes no right at all, often no system for registration and usually all manner of bureaucratic restrictions and corruption.
In India, a mixture of feudalism and limited ownership of rural property prevent investment and wealth creation, encouraging urban flight: if you can't improve your lot, your children have to try somewhere else.
At the other end, planning policies in the cities discourage building and encourage the spread of slums. Rent controls, high taxes and government ownership of land create the artificial shortage, and high cost, of housing in most Indian states.
In Mumbai, for example, rent control froze rents to the level of 60 years ago, meaning most tenants cannot afford to move out and others cannot afford to move in, so accommodation in Mumbai is the seventh most expensive in the world.
Simply rehousing slum-dwellers in government dwellings will not address these problems. It will only shut down small entrepreneurs and keep the poorest dependent on the state. Before long, a new slum will develop.
The growth of illegal settlements around the world has proved that the poor are not helpless: they have invested money and remarkable effort into building homes and businesses. With the fundamental right to own property and do business, the sequel to "Slumdog Millionaire could look like "Bride and Prejudice.
Caroline Boinis a Project Director at the London-based think-tank International Policy Network, working on sustainable development and the environment.


Clic here to read the story from its source.