We all know about Dharavi, one of Asia's largest slums situated in the financial capital of India, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Dharavi has an area of just over 2.1 square kilometres and a population of about 1,000,000 and is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
We all know how hard it is for people to live in this slum area. But wait, Dharavi may sound like heaven if you read about the coffin homes of Hong Kong which is considered one of the costliest and most modern places in the world. Undoubtedly, coffin homes can be called a blot on Hong Kong which is a symbol of prosperity and high living standards.
The most expensive city in the world, which boasts of its towering skyscrapers has housed its poor citizens in the most inhumane way possible.
Imagine if you are asked to live in a home that is no bigger than 180 square feet. What would be your first reaction - claustrophobia or suffocation. But imagine these are the homes to thousands of people in Hong Kong who have been living here for years.
The cramped spaces of the coffin homes give one a feeling of being buried alive and so the name describes it in its true spirits. Hong Kong is by far the most expensive housing market in the world. This led to people, often the poorer section of the society to adapt to the sudden change in their lifestyles. And so coffin homes came into being.
These homes are no bigger than 180 square feet and the people living there are mostly retirees with small to no pension. People who are under the poverty line earning approximately Rs 38,400 or families of four with a household income of approximately Rs 1,91,000 are forced to live here.
Besides a bed, and other furniture people can just manage to squeeze in. In many ways, these homes can be compared with train bunks, but even more cramped and uncomfortable. Residents share a common bathroom and kitchen, mostly in unhygienic conditions. And imagine they pay a hefty price for it, approximately Rs 23,000 per month for these tightly packed boxes which they call their homes.
Research conducted by students at the University of Hong Kong suggests that some of the buildings housed up to six times the number of people they were originally designed for. This increases the chances of disease outbreaks and potential fire incidents. So imagine their plights during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hong Kong's coffin home crisis is often labelled as a humanitarian and health crisis. The United Nations called it an 'insult to human dignity'.
Living in such a confining space takes a mental toll with just enough space to sit up. Because space is packed and no fresh air to enter, there is a strong musty smell. People living here can hear noises coming from all around even during the nights. And since there is no natural light, one hardly knows when is daytime or when night falls unless you look into the watch.
The origin
Coffin homes started in the late 1950s and were mainly occupied by new migrants from China as part of employer-provided housing.
Originally they were metal bunk beds that were then wrapped in a chicken-wire type of fencing, and a few of the old-style caged homes still exist.
