THE SHANTY-TOWNS OF CENTRAL BOMBAY

Three illegal shanty towns surrounding Mahim Creek and the international Airport in central Bombay are home to a million people, including many thousands of migrants fleeing deteriorating conditions in the deforested Western Ghats. The physical environment of these shanty towns is deplorable and among the worst anywhere in the world. Nevertheless, the towns are eagerly sought as convenient locations by job seekers: rather than viewing them as a problem, the great majority of residents regard the shanty towns as offering a solution, a way of meeting some of their needs. Migrants find the location, astride important commuter routes, attractive, and employment opportunities, although generally irregular and paying little, are relatively abundant. National, state, and municipal governments are ambivalent in their policies, with the national government sometimes in conflict with the Bombay municipality. The environmental degradation in the hinterland of migration is so advanced and widespread that a total shanty-town population in greater Bombay of nearly 11 million within the next eleven years is regarded as inevitable and must be seriously planned for if a major catastrophe is to be averted. © 1990 by V. H. Winston & Son, Inc. All rights reserved.