The locality of Mumbai, India

There are only a few places where the composition of land and water demands the creation of a city and
the opening of Thane creek, the largest natural harbour on Indias west coast is the home of Mumbai
(Bombay). Protected by a 247 square mile island extending into the Arabic sea, the bay is now almost
entirely urbanised by present-day Mumbai and about a third of Greater Mumbais population lives on the
southern finger of the island, with more than two-thirds of the jobs located there.
Attempts to shift jobs to more accessible areas of the region have initially failed; Navi Mumbai on the other
side of Thane creek remains a ghost city and its vast amount of housing and office buildings are only slowly
beginning to be occupied. This is largely seen as a result of real estate speculation and greater interest in
developing South Mumbai, where the chronic shortage of office space promised far higher returns.

Why move to Mumbai?

Push

Factors

Economic

1. The Green Revolution (a government programme to improve agriculture) has reduced farm work in rural
areas as more machinery is now used. Also high yielding seed varieties were introduced needing lots of
fertilizer and pesticides. Only large farms can afford the chemicals and machinery. Many small farms
cannot compete and people have sold up. Farm jobs have become harder to find and those that remain
are
incredibly
poorly
paid,
often
with
only
casual
hours
available.
2. Population growth in rural Maharastra has been rapid. In India the tradition is for a fathers land to be
divided equally between his sons. This has led to people farming plots of land which are too small to
support a family and malnutrition occurs. Incomes are very low and it is hard to clothe and house and feed
more children. There is malnutrition and overcrowding. Due to the lack of land people have farmed land in
unsuitable areas (e.g. too dry) and areas have suffered soil erosion becoming difficult to farm.

Social

Factors

1. Educational and health standards are much lower in rural areas because it is hard to get teachers and
doctors to work in the impoverished countryside. They want to work in towns where living conditions are
better.
2. Young people see farming as hard work with long hours and low pay. It provides few prospects of a
better
life
in
the
future.

Pull

Factors

Economic

1. Job prospects in Mumbai. The traditional industries of textiles, shipping & freight and jobs brought by
TNCs. Mumbai is the financial capital of India and many Indian companies have their headquarters there.
All these jobs promise to offer higher pay than farm work but the reality is often that skills are required to
take
some
positions
that
the
majority
do
not
have.
2. Investment by the Mumbai Metropolitan Authority, the Indian government and international agencies e.g.
the UN in public works e.g. improving water supplies offers the potential of employment in public services.

Social

Factors

1. Mumbai has some good schools and universities as well as decent hospitals and dentists. If you can
access these services your quality of life will be higher than in the countryside.
2. In Mumbai your home is more likely to have services such as water, electricity and sewage. These
increase
living
standards
and
so
are
attractive
to
prospective
migrants.
3. Many migrants will already know people who have left the countryside to go to the city. They hope that
these contacts will help them to find work and housing etc.

The two tales of Mumbai

Slums of Mumbai
50-60%

of

the

population

in

Mumbai

live

in

slums

-) Many people who have been in the city a little longer will find some kind of work and a spot to build a
shack. In Mumbai you see people who have built shacks on the pavement as this is the only land they
could find. They are built from scrap wood and metal which people have found and the roofs are often
covered in cloth/rags which are a disadvantage during the wet monsoon season.
-) Certain areas of the city have seen slum settlements built up on them. In Mumbai these slums are

called

Zopadpattis

and

are

found

in

certain

parts

of

the

city:

Near the CBD on any vacant land Close to offices and other businesses where casual work may
be found and informal work opportunities may be good, for example, waste paper collection for
recycling.

Next to railway lines There is always a thin strip of vacant land next to railway lines so people
have taken advantage and built on it.

Next to main roads Many slum dwellers make and sell products from roadside stalls to passing
traffic.

Near factories or Mumbais ports People are sometimes lucky enough to be given a days work in
a factory or ports when they are needed and may hope to find a permanent position one day. The
main problem is that so many people are looking for a job they are very hard to find. Vacant land
near factories, likely due to air pollution or contaminated land risks, are also inhabited.

Other unwanted or unsuitable land Dharavi for example was built on swamp ground which was
at the time seen as mosquito invested and undesirable. Flooding is a risk in the wet monsoon.

Investing in Mumbai
Continual investment is being poured into Mumbai by the Indian government and also external
organisations such as the World Bank and numerous charities. All of these organisations have different
focus whether they be infrastructure development or aiding the people in the worst conditions.