PROJECTS:

The Slum Mapping Project

Vision

The essential idea driving the slum mapping project is to provide individuals and organizations working on improving the slums (physically, socially, infrastructural improvements), with a reliable and comprehensive database. This database is envisioned to bring together information ranging from demographics to existing infrastructure, combined with an analysis on key issues like growth patterns, needs assessment etc. for each identified slum community. This data will be referenced onto a comprehensive map of these slums, which allows one to place these problems in the broader physical, jurisdictional and infrastructural context of Mumbai.

Strengths

Effectively working with the diversity of slums
Large scale slum improvement projects over the years by the Municipality, while far reaching, have failed owing to the lack of sense of ownership among the communities, and the authorities’ inability to envision solutions based on an understanding of the specific needs and problems of these inherently diverse slums. Smaller scale efforts by NGO’s have worked, but their understanding and solutions, while comprehensive, are often specific and not easily applicable to other slum communities. The reach of their efforts is limited.
The Slum Mapping Project addresses both these issues: of reach, and of comprehensiveness, allowing multiple organizations to work on multiple projects, but all creating solutions tailor made to specific needs /issues. In effect, a higher success rate can be achieved.

A means for stronger collaboration
The lack of availability of organized information is the primary issue, and the key premise of this project. Even where information is available, it is either unreliable or inaccessible. If a reliable database can be established, it would also be the medium for a more effective collaboration between the various actors involved (the BMC, private infrastructure providers, NGO and the communities), relationships that are right now weak or ineffective.

Layered access to information
Access to information, will be an important issue. As in any system, there have to be levels of access to information, which increases with the level of expertise of the organization accessing it. So a layered access to information is created, organized to reveal information by relevance as well as depth.
At a defined level, concerned and involved citizens could have access to this database, to understand and connect with the NGO’s efforts and to get an overview of the problems that affect all communities. With greater internet usage, it may also be envisioned as great medium for education and interpretation, as well as achieving greater transparency and trust.

Working with existing community organizations
The Slum Mapping Project relies largely on the fact that there are about 350 CBO’s that are incorporated into a federation (under the Slum Sanitation Program), and on their willingness to work on programs such as this. Collectively and individually these organizations, can become reliable partners in helping with data collection through organized surveys.
There is another scheme of the BMC, for garbage collection that organizes another 450 CBO’s across Mumbai, who may also be looked upon as possible working partners.

Expansion of the SWP through information gathering and mapping: