Dharavi 2020: The Covid-19 challenge

Authors

Aashi
Sethi
Kareena
Kochery
Samidha
Patil
An Image of Radha
Radha
A

We at urbz researched the circumstances in Dharavi from April to November. We now present a collection of four pandemic-focused articles, fifteen Dharavi Weekly issues, and five Dharavi Fortnightly issues.

Dharavi 2020: The Covid-19 challenge

Authors

Aashi
Sethi
Kareena
Kochery
Samidha
Patil
An Image of Radha
Radha
A

The Dharavi articles, Weeklies, and Fortnightlies were attempts to document the experience of Dharavi’s residents and users, the struggles they faced during the pandemic, and the strategies implemented for prevention of COVID-19’s spread. We covered a wide range of topics that would help illustrate those aspects of life that had undergone drastic changes owing to the pandemic-induced lockdown. Food and transportation were found to be a large issue for most residents, but there were also other matters specific to women and children that were uncovered. The urbz team did their best to record and report these narratives through our newsletters.

We began every edition by first deciding upon a pressing topic most relevant to Dharavi in the context of the pandemic. We focused on food when rations were in high demand, on economics when the impacts of the lockdown became more evident, and on transportation and circulatory migration patterns when workers began to return to Dharavi after the lockdown restrictions were eased. 

Our team discussed the various topics and themes to develop a comprehensive questionnaire that would allow data collection in both a qualitative and quantitative format. Interviews with respondents were conducted over the phone and we aimed to interview around 30-35 Dharavi residents for each newsletter to get a complete understanding of their situation and experiences. Conducting phone interviews came with a set of challenges of its own. It would sometimes be difficult to find respondents willing to speak about their personal lives, or sometimes respondents weren’t comfortable speaking to interviewees of the opposite gender and couldn’t convey their whole story. It was therefore important to be sensitive to their concerns and also continuously expand our data pool and reach out to more residents. 

All our data was compiled and organized through tabulation. Quantitative data would be analyzed separately in order to understand trends, form hypotheses, and create supporting graphs and charts. Qualitative data was collected and presented in the form of spotlight stories, case studies, and the general atmosphere of the public.

We at urbz researched the circumstances in Dharavi from April to November. We now present a collection of four pandemic-focused articles, fifteen Dharavi Weekly issues, and five Dharavi Fortnightly issues. These newsletters provide an in-depth look into how communities in Dharavi both struggled and succeeded during the pandemic. We also provide an extensive analysis of various socio-economic, spatial, and political factors that played into the experiences of Dharavi residents with the coronavirus pandemic. Some traits that stood out during our eight-month-long project were the resiliency of Dharavi’s communities, their willingness to help each other out, and a strong sense of attachment to their locality. 

 

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Articles in this collection

Dharavi Fortnightly 05 - Mumbai returns : Journeys back to Dharavi during the pandemic

In this issue of the Dharavi Fortnightly, we aim to understand the experiences of people now returning or seeking to return to Dharavi, the connections they have to their hometowns, and ways in which they are keeping these connections alive in the fast-paced world today. 
 

Dharavi Fortnightly 04 - More Covid cases and new strategies

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Dharavi has received much attention from the media, first for a steep increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and then for it’s commendable strategies to control and deal with its spread. In this issue of the Dharavi Fortnightly, we interviewed 30 people that included NGOs and beneficiaries to understand people’s strategies to deal with in-migration, unlock process and the new rise in Covid-19 cases.

Dharavi Fortnightly 03 - Dharavi on the move (in a pandemic)

While public transport is slowly resuming in the city, it is still inadequate to meet user needs. This issue of the Dharavi Fortnightly seeks to explore how restricted mobility due to the lockdown has affected the movement of people and goods within and around Dharavi.

Dharavi Fortnightly 01 - A New Normal

As the new normal sets in, and Dharavi gears up to resume business as usual, its vital workforce is on their way back or have been here for some time now. With various discourses about India’s lockdown policy claiming an exodus of workers from cities, our first issue of Dharavi fortnightly attempts to present a parallel narrative through the lens of circulatory urbanism. 

Dharavi Weekly 15 - Celebrations

This issue of the Dharavi Weekly takes you through 11 personal accounts of religious and cultural celebrations from the people themselves, as a culmination of our now, 15-week long endeavour to document their lives. Moving forward, The Dharavi Weekly will transition into a fortnightly issue wherein we hope to give to you, our readers, a much more in depth ethnographic representation of these communities. 

Dharavi Weekly 14 - The Young Adult Issue

For this week’s update, we spoke to 27 young adults from Dharavi, aged 18-25 years, about their experience in the lockdown and how they deal with it.

Dharavi Weekly 13 - Water City

This week we take a look at water-related issues and uneven distribution systems across neighborhoods. 

Dharavi Weekly 12 - The Smartphone Special

In this 12th weekly report, respondents spoke about the importance that phones and devices have taken in their everyday life.

Dharavi Weekly 04 - The School Issue

This is the fourth weekly report on how Dharavi's schools are coping. This qualitative study is based on 41 in-depth phone interviews with teachers, headmasters, parents, and students.

Dharavi Weekly 03 - The Food Issue

This is the third weekly report on how Dharavi is coping with Covid-19. We concentrate on the food distribution effort initiated at community level. 

Dharavi Weekly 02

This is the second weekly report on how Dharavi is dealing with the pandemic and the government's response to it.

Unmasking prejudice

The waste of a resource that could help India cope

Dharavi vs Virus

March 24th, India went into a 21 day lock down to maintain social distancing. People were asked to work from home, only step out for essentials and wash their hands frequently. Prior to this announcement, the inter and intra state transportation was restricted. These were part of ‘crucial’ efforts to curb the spread of the novel Covid-19.