Slums Redevelopment,

Indore City
Literature study
By:
Rafiq Ahmad Bismil
Vivek Bassi
Prabjeet Kaur
Dishaa Kanojiya

SLUM NETWORKING OF INDORE CITY

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Award Cycle:1996-1998 Cycle
Status:Recipient
Location:Indore, India
Client:Indore Development Authority
Architect:Himanshu Parikh
Size:8,000,000 m
Completed:1997

ABSTRACT
SLUM NETWORKING IS AN INNOVATIVE CONCEPT, WHICH EXPLOITS

THE LINKAGE BETWEEN THE SLUMS AND THE NATURAL DRAINAGE

PATHS THAT INFLUENCE THE URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND
ENVIRONMENT OF THE CITY.
IN

A HOLISTIC FRAME WHICH CONVERGES SCALES, ACTIVITIES,

AGENCIES AND RESOURCES IT EXPLOITS THE SLUM FABRIC IN THE
CONTEXT OF THE TOTAL CITY FOR SUSTAINABLE AND COST
EFFECTIVE IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF ITS PEOPLE AS
A WHOLE.

USING

THE CONCEPT, OVER A PERIOD OF SIX YEARS, THE

ENVIRONMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE SLUM MATRIX OF
INDORE CITY WAS IMPROVED TO COVER THE LIVES OF 450,000 SLUM
DWELLERS.

AS

A BY-PRODUCT OF SLUM NETWORKING BETWEEN THE SLUM

LOCATIONS, INDORE NOW HAS 90 KMS OF PIPED SEWER MAINS
SERVING THE NON-SLUM AREAS AND A SMALL STRETCH OF
POLLUTED RIVER RUNNING THROUGH THE CITY CENTRE WAS
CLEANED UP AND LANDSCAPED AS A CONSEQUENCE.

BASED ON THE LESSONS LEARNT IN INDORE, THE CONCEPT WAS

EVOLVED AND REPLICATED IN DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS IN THE

CITIES OF BARODA, AHMEDABAD AND MUMBAI, EACH TIME BRINGING
GREATER COMMUNITY INTERACTION AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY OF
RESOURCES. SLUMS, HENCE, CEASE TO BE LIABILITIES AND, INSTEAD,
BECOME OPPORTUNITIES OF CHANGE FOR THE CITIES.

INDORE CITY CENTRE

INFERENCES
1. The problem, proposed intervention and key elements of

activity
2. Urban Concerns, and an introduction to Slum Networking
3. City level sewerage using Slum Networking
4. City-centre improvements by intercepting sewage
5. Slum Level physical works - the Slum Networking alternative
6. River improvement and networking of other infrastructure
7. Road Concepts illustrated - principles of topography

management
8. Slum survey before improvement, and proposed road layout
9. Proposed sewerage layout
10. Proposed storm drainage layout
11. Slum Level physical works - water supply and solid waste
12. Slum Level physical works - aggregate impact
13. Community development - social, economic, educational,

family planning and disease detection activities

14. Community development
15. Slum Networking - the engineer's self-evaluation of the

INDORE HABITAT PROJECT - KEY ELEMENTS

Development component:
City level impact:

Individual items of activity

Strengthening

of sewage network to receive slums particularly in areas where

city sewers do not exist

Environmental improvement of the rive and the streams of the city

Landscaping within slums and development of lakes and gardens in marginal

land/or low-lying open spaces around slums

Improving city roads on the peripheries of slums

Improvement of water supply pressures around slum localities

Extension of city storm drainage to reach the slum pockets and low-lying areas

Improvement of solid waste management

Slum level physical works:

Roads

and paving

Individual water supply

House to house underground sewerage with individual toilets (in preference to

public latrines)

Storm drainage

Street lighting

Solid waste management

Community based landscaping

Community development:

Setting

up neighborhood groups, womens groups and youth activities

Mobilizing community savings for undertaking physical works

Educational activities for pre-primary age children, school dropouts and illiterate
adults

Community health education and other interventions related to mother and child care

Supporting income generating activities by providing vocational training, job access

to unemployed persons

Developing linkages with formal sector finance to help people start small businesses
and trades

Miscellaneous:

Project

formulation

Baseline socio-economic survey

Project evaluation

Setting up of archives

Management information system

Documentation and dissemination

SLUM NETWORKING SOLUTION

Slum Networking is an innovative concept which exploits the linkage

between the slums, natural drainage paths which influence the urban
infrastructure and the environmental fabric of the city. Thus slums, instead
of being resource draining liabilities as in the conventional developmental
approach, actually become opportunities of a quantum change in the
infrastructure levels and environmental quality of the city. Slum Networking
is an initiative driven primarily through community control. In a holistic
frame which converges scales, activities, agencies and resources it exploits
the slum fabric in the context of the total city for sustainable and cost
effective improvement in the quality of life of its people as whole.
OBJECTIVE OF SLUM NETWORKING
Improve the overall quality of life of the urban poor in terms of health,

education, skill upgrading and access to finance for shelter improvement

and income generation.
Transform the sanitation and environment of the entire slum matrix of cities

within a set time scale.

Revitalize the service infrastructure and environment of the city as a whole

as a consequence of slum intervention.

Converge the strengths of the communities, economic forces of the city and

the government for the planning and implementation of the program.

SPECIAL FEATURES OF SLUM NETWORKING
Slums are used to improve environment and infrastructure of the city as a

whole.
A holistic and integrated mix of physical, educational, health and income

 CITY LEVEL SEWERAGE USING SLUMS

Most development alternatives designed for the urban poor rarely

transcend beyond the slum boundaries. In contrast, as a byproduct of

Slum Networking. Indore now has 90 kms. Of piped sewer mains
installed in the non-slum areas. The city like 80% of cities in India, had
until recently no underground sewerage to speak of. This
transformation was possible, firstly, by interconnecting the internal
sewerage lines of slums along the rivers to create city level network
and, secondly, by increasing the pipe sizes to accept the sewage from
the
entire city population.
The costMethod
was less
half that
for
Component
Slum Networking
(Rs.than
Million)
Conventional
City
System (Rs. Million)
conventional
city systems.
Outfall drains
Sewer mains
Distribution systems
Pumping stations
Capitalized pumping costs
Total

60
100
220
Nil
Nil
380

200
200
400
30
20

850

There is a common misconception that underground storm drainage is more

expensive than open drains. As seen below, well designed piped drain can be cheaper.
Item
Pipe

Piped Storm Drain (Rs. Per 100 m)

1302
17700

Chambers
Brickwork

Plaster

Tota

6000

Concrete (1:4:8)

Open Storm Drain (Rs. Per 100m) Excavation

8600

1488012mm

5520

l25,401 ( 466)

30,302 ( 532)

Aggregate Infrastructure in Indore

Slums
Quantity
Total length of new roads
360 km.
Total length of new sewer lines
300 km.
Total length of new storm drains
50 km.
Total length of new water lines
New trees planted

240 km.

120,000
Total area of grassing/shrubbing
500,000 m2

1701

 A key technique in the project was lowering the mud roads

before paving them. The lowered streets and pathways

serve as natural drainage channels during heavy rainstorms
as well as reduce the effects of dust and mud.

 Before improvement, the slums suffered from inadequate basic

aminities. Physical improvements include improving roads and

footpaths, providing storm drainage, sanitation and sewerage
systems, water supply, street lighting, and solid waste management
The success of the Indore Habitat Projects relies on three main

components: physical works, community development and various

monitoring and information gathering activities that support those
programme
Underground sewerage systems and an improved water supply

system have been put in place in the slum colonies. The slum
dwellers pay for and build their own toilets and connections to water
and sewerage systems.

Slum networking set out five objectives: (1) a holistic approach

to environmental issues in order to upgrade the slums and
the entire city; (2) a significant reduction in the cost of
utilities and housing; (3) the mobilization of material
resources for the development of settlements; (4) the
increase in community responsibility and control; and (5) the
improvement of the overall quality of life in terms of
education, health and income. The objectives were realized
through innovative and low-cost engineering solutions. The
designer gave priority to lowering and then paving the slum
streets, so that they drain off excess rainwater during the
monsoons; to placing a gully trap in each house for the
removal of waste water and sewage; to installing a manholecovered inspection pit for every six to eight houses; and to
connecting slum sewerage lines to the main artery along the
river.

Indore city plan showing the relation between

natural drainage paths and slum areas:
There is a correlation between the slum matrix and the
natural drainage paths of the city. Thus slums help to build
up lo cost service trunks, particularly gravity based systems
of sewerage and storm drainage, together with
environmental improvements such as new fresh water
bodies, cleaning of rivers, green padestrian spines and
restoration of waterfront structures. The slums naturally
benefit from the improved city-level support.
Whiledevelopment alternatives designed for the urban poor
rarely transcend beyond the slum boundaries,for the city
as well, slum networking offers opportunities for change
through this systematic process.

Proposed riverfront developments:

Indore, as a result of Slum Networking has 90
kilometers of piped sewer mains installed
in non-slum areas. This transformation was
possible, firstly, by interconnecting the
internal sewerage lines of slums along the
rivers to make a city level network, and
secondly, by incresing the pipe sizes to
accept sewage from teh entire city
population. The cost was less than half that
for a conventional city system in India at
the time.

The Slum Networking approach:

The approach demanded that many unconventional
concepts such as topography management, earth
regradation and constructive landscaping.It required
sensitive and intense participation of the public in the
development process. This not only prepared the
communities for the changes to come but also increased
their willingness to maintain the systems. This willingness
allowed for extending of the already evolvedmechanismsto
health,education and income generation programmes. The
objective was not to find solution unique to slums, but,
explore the commonality between the slums and the better
parts of the city to integrate the two.