Govt plans satellite mapping to prevent new slums

India is going to map its slums. And for Mumbai, where proliferating slums are a nightmare for civic planners, it should bring hope.

The ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation (Hupa) will do satellite mapping of all slums in the country under the slum-free cities initiative of the government. Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will be collaborating in the project. Mumbai will be among the four metros to be mapped first.
Hupa believes mapping will help governments find new slums taking shape and prevent their illegal spread. Besides, it will be effective in analysing slum communities, providing them sanitation and other amenities, and relocating them to suitable locations.
The project will use geographical information system (GIS) and take two years to complete. Officials said high-resolution satellite imaging would be used to locate slums and identify their physical characteristics.

“GIS mapping will be helpful for cities like Mumbai which have high number of slums,’’ said Hupa minister Kumari Sejla. “We will be able to act timely while relocating slum-dwellers to places closer to their work. We can also club two slums into one and free up land,” Selja said.

A similar satellite mapping done by Indian Institute of Remote Sensing on Dehradun’s slums showed that the number of slums in the city had increased from 75 in 1996 to 113 in 2000.

States have been asked to identify slums and come up with development plans. Hupa is working with experts for a model legal regulatory framework for according property rights to slum dwellers.

Just a few months ago, the government had begun a nationwide socio-economic survey of urban slums with an aim to create a database of slum dwellers. A total of 5,161 towns are being surveyed to prepare a profile of household poverty and livelihoods of the slum dwellers. According to data available, Maharashtra has the highest number of slums in the country (32%), followed by West Bengal (15%) and Andhra Pradesh (15%).