Deonar:
This school is surrounded by most deprived and massive slum areas like Tata Nagar, Sathe Nagar, Lalubhai Compound and it also drains students from Shivaji Nagar and Bainganwadi localities as well. Most students of Marathi medium school with whom we have been working come from Sathe nagar slums. This area is one of the most deprived slum area with poverty and adverse socio-economic issues. People here mostly belong to the Scheduled casts, Nav Bauddha community. There are severe economic problems and rampant addictions. Many teenagers can be observed playing cards in gambling dens. Even school going children gamble while playing marble games. Domestic quarrels, violence, abuse, are very common.
Mankhurd:
Mankhurd represents true India. On the north, you have Muslim migrants from Bihar and Utter Pradesh settled in Rafiq Nagar, while the eastern side you have got staunch Bhojpuri Hindus. While at Sathe Nagar there are Dalits, while Maharashtra Nagar has plenty of Maharashtrians.
There are several pockets like Mandala, Rafiq Nagar, Chikuwadi area which is mainly occupied by migrant population. These areas are called Camp Area. Due to randomly spread slums and close proximity to dumping ground there are many issues related to hygiene and pollution. There is always lot of garbage on the roads which adds to pollution and contamination. In this area there is usually limited water supply. So one can always see long ques for water. Due to improper storing and lack of fresh water supply – incidents of water contamination is frequent. Add to this, lack of awareness regarding hygiene and cleanliness and problem increases many fold. About 80% of slums are used for residential purpose. Numbers of slums are prone to water logging during rainy season.
About half of slums has pucca road within the slum while the other half had katcha road. One third of road within the slum and one fourth of approach road to slum remain water logged during monsoon.
Seventy three percent of slum had no underground sewage facility according to one survey.
People residing in this area are of poor socio- economic background. So lack of nutritious food and lack of awareness regarding diet usually leads to anemia and malnutrition in children..
There are lots of areas like Shivaji Nagar which are notorious for gang war, drug addiction and alcoholics etc. One can understand that when a child grows up in such environment what will be the impact on child and mental health of others as well.
Now Mankhurd slum stands as Asia’s largest slums by replacing Dharavi.
Quite often people from silver screen enjoy taking shots at Mankhurd ,and adjustment dumping ground at Deonar like slum dog millionaire, but reality behind it is quick troublesome.