Dharavi redevelopment may affect a host of thriving small industries

The Maharashtra government's decision to redevelop Dharavi, Asia's biggest slum in north central Mumbai, will shatter a host of thriving small industries.

City within a city: A hawk's eye view of the teeming slum of one million souls. A beehive of recycling and manufacturing industries, Dharavi has an estimated 2,000 businesses and 15,000 singleroom factories


Walks of life: A cart puller (L) carrying goat skin. Dharavi has a thriving tanning industry


Designers dream: The slum boasts more than 200 embroidery and zardozi units, where migrant labourers from UP and Bihar earn their livelihood


Potter's magic: The kilns at Kumbharwada, the Gujarati potters district, make a pretty sight but cause quite a bit of air pollution too


Snacks galore: The sev gathias and chaklis made in Dharavi sell widely. Farsan, another savoury, is also made here


Land of recycling: Over 4,000 tonnes of waste is processed here every day, from paper to glass to plastics to tin to aluminium to paint

Photographs by Umesh Goswami and Nishikant Gamre