Gallery

The Mumbai skyline from the Brabourne Stadium. Source: Ojas c at, http://flickr.com/photos/8584323@N06/520294415, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2334259
About 15km north of the iconic Brabourne Stadium is the 3rd largest slum in the world, Dharavi. Source: M M, https://www.flickr.com/photos/43423301@N07/5842973175
Being one of the most dense regions on Earth, Dharavi is home to nearly one million people in an area of two squared kilometers. These slumdwellers live below the poverty line struggling to survive their environment while meeting their food needs everyday. Source: lecercle, https://www.flickr.com/photos/lecercle/2399948261
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected in 2014 consequently introducing a series of controversial right wing policies. Modi vowed to reduce government funding for health care while increasing foreign direct investment. He also launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign with goals of eliminating open defecation and manual scavenging. Source: Al Jazeera English, https://www.flickr.com/photos/aljazeeraenglish/3479448201/
The federal government launched the ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign to “clean India” while leaving no one behind. One of the goals is to make India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2, 2019 ( the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi). Since the launch in 2014, only 3 states have been declared ODF. Maharashtra, where Mumbai lies has not yet reached that goal. Source: Adapted form Swachh Bharat Mission, Government of India (2017), http://sbm.gov.in/sbmdashboard/Default.aspx
Mumbai made headlines in December, 2016 for declaring themselves to be ODF. The municipal government refused to take responsibility for the federal lands within the city limits where open defecation still prevails such as railways and the Defense area in South Mumbai. Source: The Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/12/30/believe-it-or-not-mumbai-has-been-declared-an-open-defecation-f/

For More Information:

Spam prevention powered by Akismet