Slum Networking: an Innovative Approach to Urban Development

AFTER A BACKGROUND section summarizing the scale and nature of urban growth in India, the growth in the number of people living in "slums" and the different approaches used in slum development, this report describes in some detail the concept of slum networking. In Indore, as in many other cities, most "slums" are close to natural or human-constructed drains. The physical improvements made under the slum networking approach sought to use natural slopes and carefully designed roads which sloped downwards towards storm drains, to ensure no flooding or pooling of waste water (which is a major cause of road damage). In Indore, it was possible to provide sewers for connection to each house because the slums were close together and did not require long lengths of additional pipe to connect them to the main sewers; further cost savings were achieved by placing underground sewage lines along the drains. This allowed each household to have an individual toilet, with individual loans available to help the dwellers pay the small connection charge and the cost of constructing their own toilet. Cost savings were also achieved for piped water supplies by building on the existing system but converting it from communal standpipes to individual house connections. Other aspects of slum networking are also outlined, including the use of soft landscaping and household support for tree planting, community consultation processes, social aspects (including health, education and child care) and support for employment creation and training. The report then gives more details about the application of this approach in Indore, Baroda and Ahmedabad. In Indore, this initiative was financed with some UK£ 10.5 million from British aid, with the cost of the infrastructure (including roads and footpaths, drains, sewers, water supply and street lighting) kept to only UK£ 73.70 per household. In all, the Indore programme covered 450,000 persons. The report ends with a section discussing the replication of this approach, details of key contacts, and engineering drawings of the sewer system, drains, water supply and community halls.