Thenumber of people living the five biggest slums, in the world, namely, Khayelitsha in Cape Town, in South Africa, Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, Dharavi in Mumbai, India, Neza in Mexico and Orangi Town in Karachi Pakistan, according to one estimate, is 5.7 million. The figure for the world is estimated at about 900 millions. If different types of informal settlements are also taken into account, the number goes up to 1.6 billion, almost 1/4th of the world’s urban population. By 2030, it is estimated that one in four people on the planet will live in a slum or other informal settlement.

Thanks to current trends in population growth and continuing migration from rural areas to cities, these slums are clearly here to stay and, for the first time in history, more people live in cities than in rural areas.

How slums are run depends on a variety of factors, such as their ethnic makeup, political connections, and how long they have been established.

India is home to a substantial proportion of the world’s slum dwellers, and ad-dressing slum development is a crucial challenge for the country. Slums represent complex political and social issues which present formidable infrastructure and public welfare challenges. They function as major informal economic hubs that contribute significantly over 7.5% to India's total urban GDP, with their proximi-ty and affordability making for inexpensive housing close to commercial centres, allowing workers to minimize transit costs and sustain city commerce. They sup-ply low-cost labour essential for formal urban sectors, including construction, domestic help, transport, and waste management and constitute a substantial por-tion of the urban workforce and are, in fact, its backbone.

Some slums are incredibly productive. One area of Delhi, as a matter of fact, is referred to as a ‘five-star slum’, as it has running water, electricity, and other amenities.

Slums often house thousands of small manufacturing and recycling units. For ex-ample, Mumbai's Dharavi generates an estimated $1 billion annually through leather workshops, textile production, and pottery.

The central and the state governments, often with the help of charitable and NGOs, have launched major offensives to combat the challenge of the growth of slums. Well intentioned though such initiatives are, they have often been resisted, precisely by those for whose welfare they are meant, mostly on account of the selfish motives of vested interests such as local politicians. As witness the fact that older, more established slums, where residents have formed cohesive communities such as Dariba Kalan in the medieval city of Delhi, have erupted into riots in the face of government efforts to clear them, even though the government had offered to resettle the displaced people. Slums, such as those depicted in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, are complex communities with resi-dents of different income levels and are systems of political patronage.

Several factors contribute to the malady of the continuing growth of slums in In-dia, which can constitute a complex interplay of social, economic, and urban fac-tors. One, certainly, is the significant influx of people from rural areas to urban centres in search of better economic opportunities, which results in a rapid in-crease in the urban population, often overwhelming cities’ ability to provide housing and basic services. As real estate prices in cities are often prohibitively high for low-income individuals and families, they settle in informal settle-ments. Poor urban planning and insufficient investment in urban infra also con-tribute to the growth of slums. Slum dwellers often work in low-paying, informal sector jobs, the only employment opportunities available to them.

Slum development is important on account of its wide-ranging implications for social, economic, and urban development. As slums are often home to some of the most economically disadvantaged popu-lations, provision of better living conditions, access to basic services, and eco-nomic opportunities, slum development can contribute to poverty reduction and improved living standards. It also promotes social equity and inclusivity, ensur-ing that marginalized and vulnerable populations have access to decent housing, clean water, sanitation, education, and healthcare, thus reducing social disparities, the spread of diseases and enhancing the overall well-being of slum residents. Improved living conditions and economic opportunities can lead to reduced crime and violence in slum areas, enhancing the safety and security of residents. Limited access to basic amenities and financial instability keeps many slum chil-dren out of school, pushing them into child labour, stunting long-term human capital growth

Slum development in India is a complex and multifaceted challenge, with several significant obstacles to overcome.

For one thing, slums are often densely populated, leading to overcrowding and inadequate living space. This overpopulation can strain already limited resources and infrastructure. Also, relocating slum requires finding suitable land, addressing resistance from the affected communities. It often calls for the ability to navigate complex bureaucratic processes and overcome political challenges, which can slow down progress and result in corruption. The process requires the communi-ty’s active participation in governance and planning in the decision-making pro-cess as, without it, development efforts may not meet their needs.

Many NGOs, such as the Mahila Housing Trust, in India are involved in initia-tives for slum development and play a vital role in addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by slum dwellers. Many of them work to provide affordable and improved housing for slum dwellers, in addition to engaging in building or ren-ovating homes and ensuring access to basic amenities like clean water sanitation and hygiene facilities. Some also run vocational training and skill development programs to equip slum residents with the skills needed for better employment opportunities. Many focus on empowering women through self-help groups, in-come-generating activities, and training programs to improve their socio-economic status.

They also engage in advocacy efforts to raise awareness about the rights and needs of slum dwellers. Some of them even offer micro-lending services and fa-cilitate access to credit for individuals and small businesses in slum areas, promot-ing financial inclusion. Other areas where NGOs do commendable work in-clude sanitation and hygiene promotion, environmental sustainability and disaster response. NGOs often act as intermediaries between slum residents and govern-ment programs, helping people to participate in governance and planning access to benefits and services they may be entitled to.The urban agglomeration comprising the cities of Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet is home to over 200 slum settlements, many of them unrecognised.

Children living in them face multiple and overlapping disadvantages. Pov-erty, insecure livelihoods, migration, poor housing, inadequate sanitation, inter-rupted schooling, child labour, substance abuse, and limited access to govern-ment services combine to create an environment where children remain highly vulnerable to exploitation and exclusion.

Don Bosco Navajeevan (DBNJ), a well-known NGO, has been working in some of the slum communities, through integrated interventions in education, child protection, health, nutrition, mental health, family strengthening, adolescent leadership, and community mobilisation. Its experience has shown that there are many challenges in addressing urban poverty. It is a phenomenon that cannot be addressed through isolated interventions.

Investment in urban slums should move beyond infrastructure and adopt community-based development approach that empowers residents to become ac-tive partners in planning and managing their own development.

Most families in slums survive on daily wage labour and other informal occupations with unstable incomes. A significant proportion of households are migrant families whose mobility often disrupts children's education and access to welfare services. Housing conditions remain inadequate, with many families liv-ing in temporary or semi-permanent structures lacking proper sanitation and drainage. Although government schools are available, many children continue to experience learning gaps, irregular attendance, and a risk of dropping out due to economic hardship and family responsibilities.

Sustainable change is possible only when families, communities, govern-ment institutions, and development partners work together. The existence of slums is a matter of shame to any country, particularly for a country like India, which claims to be fast approaching the acquisition of the status of a $5 trillion economy, the fourth largest in the world. While, undoubted-ly, many laudable steps have been taken to address and overcome the challenge, there is much that remains to be done. Grave and solemn though the challenge is, there are those who treat the is-sue with indifference if not contempt. It is not unknown for people to include in their walking, whether for pleasure or as a form of exercise, a visit to the slums, thus combining the need for exercise with the satisfaction of being able to claim their having rubbed shoulders with those living in abject poverty.

(The writer was formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)