LIVELIHOOD SUPPORT in PUNE

SPARC is part of the BSUP R&R project in Warje, Pune.  In August 2013, the SPARC held a meeting to introduce a training program it has organized to assist the youth affected by the BSUP R&R project.  The training program includes the following:

· 4/5 weeks (5 hrs everyday) training after which each person will get guaranteed job in Pune- Bank, Retail shop, Call Center, BPO sector with salary starting from Rs.8000-10000

· Training involves-

Ø  Interview skills

Ø  Basic English speaking

Ø  Skill training- as per the education background

· Training has Enrollment fees Rs. 500, during the course Rs. 2000 and after getting a job each person has to pay Rs. 2500 - total cost of training is Rs. 5000 per person.

As part of post relocation livelihood support to the communities at Warje MM team with Mr. Roy and Skills Academy invited about 25-30 educated youngsters from the slums with a minimum education till the 7^th standard. Mr. A.N. Roy Former Director General of Police, Maharashtra and founder of Vandana Foundation, together with the Skills Academy from Delhi jointly provides livelihood training for poor educated slum boys and girls from the age group of 18-25 yrs.

Mr. Roy informed the participants about the benefits of enrolling and explained that the Vanda foundation together with SPARC has already trained about 100 youngsters in slums of Mumbai; those trained are working in Bank, Retail shop, Call Center, BPO sector. Since the Vabdana Foundation and Skills Academy has a tie up with Banks and retail shops, they can get a guarantee the students a job.

  

25 participants have enrolled for this training program, among them 4 are from A building and the first batch is going to start from 19th August 2013 at Sarhad College  Katraj.

Rehab policy to soothe ruffled feathers of PAPs in Navi Mumbai

Times of India, Mumbai recently reported that City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has drafted a 26 page action plan to pacify the PAPs in Navi Mumbai.  Relocating is an traumatic experience and should be carried forward with a sensitive hand.  If the communities concerns and problems are not dealt with at the forefront, then winning their support is difficult.  The community should be involved in the process and feel comfortable to air their grievances.  Then, and only then, can the process of relocation run smoothly.

Dharavi tops upscale Lower Parel

The Economic Times of Mumbai recently reported that a flat in Dharavi generates a higher price than a similar flat in upscale Lower Parel.  The promise of a government redevelopment project has led to the price increase. The slum dwellers anticipate that the prices will increase once the DPR starts.Unfortunately, the Dharavi Redevelopment project has been stalling since 2004.  

26 towers to house city slum dwellers

Mumbai: The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has cleared 26 skyscrapers with 23 floors each to house slum dwellers in Malad, Worli and Bhoiwada, Parel. About 6,600 slum families, comprising around 25,000 people, will be relocated to these towers from their original shanty land. Each family will get a free 269 sq ft (carpet) flat, but will have to be trained to use the lift, bathrooms and other amenities. Housing experts have dubbed it a “sophisticated displacement plan and a highly unsustainable urban development model that will lead to further slumification of the city”.  Publication: The Times Of India Mumbai; Date: Aug 17, 2013; Section: Front Nauzer K Bharucha TNN

SPARC believes that multi – storied buildings inevitably leads to higher maintenance cost that eventually the poor have to bear, for example, high rise buildings require the use of lifts which increases the electric cost; structural maintenance is higher for high rises in comparison to G+2 structures.  In addition, social interaction is challenged as the slum dwellers are interdependent within their community, but with shifting into high rises, the community structure is disrupted.

Bio-Digester Technology for safe human waste disposal

India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) have invented Bio - Digester Technology as a solution to prevailing unhygienic sanitation methods.  Bio Toilet Technology facilitates termination to residual human excretory waste.  Human waste is decomposed by special lab mutated bacteria into water and bio gas.  The Bio-digester toilet is total maintenance-free system, which does not require any sewage system. The inoculums bacteria used in these bio-digester toilets procreate and generate new bacteria in an anaerobic environment without the need for repeat dosing.  The bacterial consortium degrades night soil to produce colorless, odorless and inflammable gas containing 50 – 70% methane. 

How It Works: A group of lab mutated bacteria decomposes the excretory waste through microbial reaction. Bio-digesters have 3 anaerobic chambers that treat Human wastes effectively, and don’t require any cleaning or emptying the tank because of its unique systematic structural arrangements.  The treatment, the task of cleansing water is continuously carried forward from the start to the end point, till the water exits the bio-digester.  When the treated water finally comes out it is 98% clean and free from entire pathogens.

The breakthrough technology has potential in the urban slums since the safe disposable of human waste is a major challenge.  The bio-digester technology has been successfully implemented in public toilets across India.  SPARC hopes to introduce this technology to the Mahila Milan and to explore the possibility of implementing the system within the slum.

What to do in case of forced evictions?

In pursuance of the struggle to stall the processes of eviction, Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), Delhi, has published a handbook in Hindi, English and Tamil titled, “What to do in case of a forced eviction”. The handbook, released by men and women who have faced forced eviction or are on the verge of it, elaborates upon the right to adequate housing and is a step towards educating the slum-dwellers about their rights. The book has sections that covers the rights of people in purview of state, national and international policies. It also details what compensation can be sought in case of forced evictions, steps that can be taken to prevent or counter forced evictions, and some contacts that can come in handy in case the affected dwellers need directions or help. Though the publication is produced considering the settlements in Delhi, it can be extended to support communities countering similar issues in rest of the country.

Too HIGH expectations?

In a high density city like Mumbai, vertical expansion is inevitable if land is to be available for everyone.  However, high rises mean heavy maintenance expenditures which the slum dwellers have to incur to pay for water bills, garbage collection, regular cleaning etc. Elevator  maintenance adds to it. In an article featured above, the developer is positive about slum dwellers moving into 23 floor buildings. He wants to balance the cost of maintenance by providing fix corpus and provision for part payment of maintenance for 10 years, “training” slum dwellers in using facilities like the elevators and bathrooms and thinks “they will have to learn to adapt to these socioeconomic changes”.  Are these too high expectations? Or wrong assumptions? Firstly, most families could be coming from economically vulnerable groups that might find the sudden rise in monthly expenses too taxing to handle and secondly, sudden change in socio-economic conditions are not easy to handle as compared to a gradual change.  Thus, the rehabilitation policies should also look at long term affects of the scheme and draft guidelines that will not jeopardize the future of affected families.