Mumbai: Will the city planners continue to treat the lives and health of the lower strata of society as secondary?
Independent experts are of the view and are making an attempt to bring this to the attention of the authorities for better living conditions when BDD Chawls, Dharavi and other similar localities are redeveloped. A detailed report by Architect Shirish Patel and Urban Planner Sulakshana Mahajan in Marathi, titled “BDD Chalicha Punarvikas Kasa Nasava, Kasa Asava” (How not to and to redevelop BDD Chawls) lists out the pitfalls that the government planner often repeats and how an economically viable solution should be adopted for the good of all stakeholders.
What the report 'How not to and to redevelop BDD Chawls' says
The book points out that the distance between two buildings is well less than what is specified by the National Building Code of India (NBCI). The NBCI stipulates having 500 homes per hectare for economically weaker sections and 400/ha for other income groups. In case of redevelopment of BDD Chawls, it is over 800/ha. Similarly, another area of deviation from the NBCI is Floor Space Index (FSI) which should be 4, but the government has proposed between 4-8 and if parking, life, staircase, etc are included the same touches the range of 9-11.
Even the open space for the inhabitants will be compromised. The NBCI has prescribed 2sqm of open space needed per person, but at NM Joshi Marg 0.5sqm of open space has been planned and 0.65sqm at Naigaon.Therefore, the government’s current plan will only congest the area further with the existing population.
Moreover, at Naigaon BDD Chawl, the building height proposed is 50 floors. Such a highrise would deny natural light and airflow. Therefore, there is a requirement to space out the buildings for better ventilation. It would also result in an increase in temperature by up to 3 degrees Celsius. With lower floors receiving less to no sunlight and living in the dark, there will be more people at risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB).Some years ago, another study on the health of residents living in such colonies highlighted the direct correlation between the poor design of colonies and TB.
Better design ideas
The study, "Association Between Architectural Parameters and Burden of Tuberculosis in Three Resettlement Colonies of M-East Ward, Mumbai, India" was conducted by Peehu Pardeshi, Balaram Jadhav, Ravikant Singh, Namrata Kapoor, Ronita Bardhan, Arnab Jana, Siddarth David and Nobhojit Roy. This study has presented a few recommendations for better designing resettlement colonies in order to reduce the impact of poor design on the well-being of the residents.
The findings suggest that relaxation in building standards for slum rehabilitation and redevelopment is detrimental to the health of the poor.Climatically sensitive design is a necessity for survival, especially for those who cannot afford air conditioning and costly ventilation. Public housing that is being built is expected to last at least for the next 30 years and should be built for these future needs.
"Our findings are applicable for every mindless redevelopment project, including the BDD Chawls or to rehabilitate slum colonies or those of project-affected persons,” said Ms Mahajan.
