Page 80 - HUDCO-SHELTER-April22

CASE STUDIES
settlements, with 213 million
informal settlement residents
being added to the global
population since 1990 (Avis,
2016). The extent of irregular
housing varies from country
to country, comprising 20 to
80 percent of urban growth
and affecting 15 to 70 percent
of the urban population of
developing countries. Such
problems are more acute in
the larger metropolitan areas
(Durand-Lasserve and Clerc,
1996).
India is one of the fastest
growing economies in Asia
with an urbanisation rate of
about 31.2 percent as per the
2011 census. However, due to
lack of access to decent and
affordable housing one in
every six urban Indian lives
in slums and they constitute
around 17.4 percent of total
urban population of the
country (National Building
Organization, 2015).
Delhi, being the capital city
and the second largest urban
agglomeration after Mumbai,
attracts millions of migrants
everyday who come in search
of job and better livelihood.
The population of Delhi has
grown exponentially in the
past decades far outstripping
the infrastructure and
housing that the city can
provide. Its urban population
has registered a sharp
increase from 2.36 million in
1961 to 16.33 million in 2011,
growing at an average annual
rate of 3.95 per cent. The level
78 HUDCO-HSMI Publication
of urbanisation increased are in complete defiance of
from 88.72 per cent to 97.50 planning regulations and
per cent during this period. legislations. The Informal
As per 2011 census Delhi’s settlements (or unauthorised
population grew by about colonies) are residential
21.20 percent over a period areas where the inhabitants
of ten years from 2001-2011. often have no security of
Today Delhi’s population tenure, neighbourhoods
stands at 19 million spread usually lack basic services
over an area of 1483 sq. km. and infrastructure, and the
However the city has failed housing may not comply
to provide decent, affordable with the existing planning
and legal housing to this vast and building regulations,
populace. and are mostly located
in geographically and
The Delhi Development environmentally sensitive
Authority (DDA) established areas (UN Habitat, 2015).
in 1957 was in charge of
the city’s development as a UNDERSTANDING THE
whole including provision SETTLEMENT AND ITS
of public housing at an MAGNITUDE
affordable rate but it has
not been able to meet the The Delhi Urban Shelter
rising demand for affordable Improvement Board (DUSIB)
housing. Since 1969, the DDA recognizes unauthorized
has constructed 413,883 flats, Colonies as one of the
building an average of 8,622 several informal/unplanned
flats per year. The number settlements in Delhi as evident
of houses built by it in the from Table 1. About one-third
of Delhi lives in sub-standard
last 48 years is a little more housing, which includes 695
than the number of people slums and JJ Clusters, 1797
added to Delhi’s population unauthorized colonies, old
each year (Gupta, 2017). In dilapidated areas and 362
contrast, Delhi’s population villages (Economic Survey of
has increased by 1.56 crore Delhi 2021-22). These areas
with an average annual rate often lack safe, adequate
of 3.26 lakh people in the housing and basic services
same period. Hence, lack of and infrastructure. According
adequate developed land at to the projections of Master
affordable prices to different Plan of Delhi-2021 (MPD-
categories of residents 2021), Delhi needs 24 lakh
and continuous in-flow of new housing units by the year
migrants over the years have 2021. Of these, 54 percent are
resulted in the emergence required for the economically
of unplanned/informal weaker sections (EWS) and
settlements in the city which lower income groups (LIG).