Maarg Manthan · Topic 10.2

Urbanization Challenges: Rural-Urban Migration, Emergence of Slums, Informal Settlements

Geography › Urbanization, Settlements and Migration · Topic 10.2

Rapid urban growth in India has brought serious problems. Rural-urban migration, driven by poverty, lack of jobs, small landholdings and the lure of city wages, adds to the load on cities that cannot supply housing and services. The result is slums and informal settlements, where people live in crowded, poorly built homes without proper water, sanitation or secure tenure. The Census 2011 counted about 65 million people in slums, over 17 per cent of the urban population. Slum dwellers earn low wages in the informal economy and face health and fire risks.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Urbanization, Settlements and Migration

At a Glance

Slum population (2011) About 65 million, over 17 per cent of urban
Main cause Migration without housing
Features Crowding, poor services, insecure tenure
Example Dharavi, Mumbai
Scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Urbanization, Settlements and Migration

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows the pattern of Indian urbanisation and examines the first and most visible problem of fast urban growth. It leads to the topics on infrastructure and urban poverty, which are connected to the same causes. Previous topic: Features and Patterns of India’s Urbanization. Next topic: Urban Infrastructure Challenges: Urban Transport, Waste Disposal, Water Supply, Drainage, Sanitation.

Why Do People Migrate from Villages to Cities?

Push factors (villages)	Pull factors (cities)
Small, fragmented landholdings and low farm income	Higher wages and more varied jobs in industry, trade and services
Unemployment and underemployment, especially in the lean season	Better schools, hospitals and training
Debt, drought, floods and crop failure	Chance of social mobility; anonymity that helps lower castes and women
Lack of schools, health care and services	Networks of relatives and villagers who help new arrivals
Caste discrimination and social pressure	Entertainment and a modern lifestyle

Migration to cities is only partly permanent. Many workers go on short or circular migration, living in the city for months and returning home, which adds to the housing problem because they live in temporary shelters. The patterns of migration are explained in Migration: Push and Pull Factors, Internal and Cross-Border Migration.

What Are Slums and Informal Settlements?

Definition: the Census treats as a slum a residential area that is unfit for human habitation because of dilapidated buildings, overcrowding, faulty arrangement of streets, and lack of ventilation, sanitation and water. There are notified slums (declared by law), recognised slums (accepted by the authorities) and identified slums (found by the Census with at least 300 people or 60 to 70 households living in poor housing).
Extent: Census 2011 counted about 65 million slum dwellers, about 17.4 per cent of the urban population, in more than 2,600 towns. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu had the largest slum populations. A new count will come with Census 2027.
Informal settlements: squatter housing on public land, along railway lines, canals and drains, and unauthorised colonies, such as the unauthorised colonies of Delhi, where tenure is insecure.
Dharavi: in Mumbai, one of the largest slums of Asia, with a very high density and a large informal economy of leather, pottery and recycling. Its redevelopment has been the subject of long debate.
Conditions: poor water and sanitation, disease, fire and flood risk, lack of schooling and health services, and eviction threats.

What Are the Consequences and the Policy Responses?

Health and safety: tuberculosis, diarrhoea and fires are frequent. The COVID-19 pandemic showed the risk of dense living.
Economy: slums supply cheap labour for the city, as domestic workers, construction labour and street vendors, but the work is informal and low-paid.
Environment: settlements on floodplains, wetlands and hill slopes increase disaster risk.
Policies: the Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, 1956; the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (2005); Rajiv Awas Yojana, which sought a slum-free India; and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) from 2015, which supports in-situ redevelopment, credit-linked subsidy, affordable housing partnerships and beneficiary-led construction. Rental housing for migrants is the newer focus.
Approaches: in-situ upgradation, giving land titles, extending services, and involving residents, as against eviction and relocation to far-off sites.

The service gaps are further treated in Urban Infrastructure Challenges: Urban Transport, Waste Disposal, Water Supply, Drainage, Sanitation, and the income side in Urban Poverty. As an analytical point, slums are a sign that housing and jobs have not kept pace with migration, and are also the way by which the poor make homes close to work. The wider settlement types are in Types of Urban Settlements and the Urban Growth Process.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Facts Slum share and definitions
Policy Housing schemes
Link Migration and poverty

What Came Next?

The next topic describes the challenges of urban infrastructure: transport, waste, water, drainage and sanitation. Next topic: Urban Infrastructure Challenges: Urban Transport, Waste Disposal, Water Supply, Drainage, Sanitation.

Key People and Terms

Slum Overcrowded, poorly serviced settlement
Informal settlement Housing without legal tenure
Push factor Condition that drives migration
Pull factor Attraction of the destination
In-situ redevelopment Rebuilding on the same site
Circular migration Repeated short moves between home and work

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

About 17 per cent of urban Indians lived in slums in 2011.
Slum types: notified, recognised, identified.
Dharavi is in Mumbai.
PMAY-Urban began in 2015.
Slums often come from migration without housing.

Do Not Confuse With

Slum and informal settlement Poor-quality housing versus housing without legal title
Notified and identified slums Declared by law versus found by the Census
In-situ and relocation Rebuild on site versus move elsewhere

Memory Hook

Push from the village, pull from the town; slums are where the migrants settle down.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for causes of slums and suitable remedies. These points add depth.

Causes Migration, land and housing costs
Impacts Health, safety, environment
Remedies Upgradation, tenure, rental housing

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Discuss the causes and consequences of the growth of slums in Indian cities and evaluate the policies to deal with them.”

How to Answer

Causes Push and pull.
Extent Census data.
Effects Health, safety.
Policy Schemes and approaches.

GS Relevance

Prelims: slum definition and share, migration, housing schemes. GS Paper 1: urbanisation, their problems and remedies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main reasons for rural-urban migration in India?

The main push factors are small landholdings, low farm income, unemployment, debt and natural disasters in villages. The pull factors are higher wages and more jobs in towns, better education and health services, and networks of relatives. Much of the movement is short-term or circular, with migrants returning home.

What is a slum according to the Census?

The Census defines a slum as a residential area unfit for human habitation because of dilapidated buildings, overcrowding, faulty street layout and lack of ventilation, sanitation and drinking water. It classes slums as notified, recognised and identified. In 2011, about 65 million people lived in slums.

What is Dharavi?

Dharavi is a large informal settlement in the heart of Mumbai, one of the biggest slums in Asia, with a very high population density. It has a large informal economy of small industries such as leather, pottery and recycling, and has been the subject of long-running redevelopment plans.

What is the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)?

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), launched in 2015, aims at housing for all in urban areas. It supports in-situ slum redevelopment, credit-linked subsidies for home loans, affordable housing in partnership with private builders, and beneficiary-led construction, with a focus on economically weaker sections.

Why are informal settlements a problem?

Informal settlements lack secure land tenure, so residents risk eviction, and they often lack water, sanitation and drainage. They are crowded and located on hazardous land such as flood plains, railway tracks and canal banks, which raises health, fire and disaster risks, and they strain city services.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 About 17 per cent of India's urban population lived in slums in 2011.

True

About 65 million people.

2 Slums are always legally recognised by the government.

False

Some are only identified by the Census.

3 Dharavi is located in Delhi.