LOCATION

Spacial Scale
Overpopulation is defined as a function of the number of individuals compared to the relevant resources, such as the water and essential nutrients they need to survive. It can result from an increase in births, a decline in mortality rates, an increase in immigration, or an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources. Overpopulation does affect the environment globally, but we will be focusing on its effects regionally. 

http://www.citymayors.com/development/dharavi.html

Geography
The Dharavi slum is located in western India just outside of the large city Mumbai and just south of the Mithi River. The slum is also located between the Central and Western Railways making its location and poor drainage systems the basis of pollution. 

SPECIFICS OF THE PROBLEM

http://www.projectfrontfoot.org/?id=aboutus&pid=dharavi

History

Dharavi was founded in 1882 and it grew because of an explosion of factories and colonial government during a time of economic expansion. The total population is about 300,000-1,000,000 (600-2,000 People per Acre) and it is a visual eyesore, but a symbol of raw inequality that is a perfect example of the failure, by policy makers, to accommodate the millions of rural migrants searching for opportunity in Indian cities. And now, Dharavi is a problem because of its high population density from the massive population growth of lower class people into the area looking for jobs in leather, textile, and pottery factories in Mumbai and also cheap housing. 

Consequences
A major consequence for the people and the environment is pollution and the effects it has on public health. The people of Dharavi use the Mithi river for defecation and urination which pollutes the river tremendously and flows into the Arabian Sea. 

How Humans are Affected
Humans are affected because of pollution to the Dharavi's water supply and can not access clean drinking water and widespread diseases throughout the population that leads to a high mortality rate. 

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/216254/dharavi-self-created-special-economic.html

LARGER CONSEQUENCES

Global Scale & Consequences 
There are slums all over India and other parts of the world and they all have an effect on the environment. The filth from the slums leak into neighboring areas, creating unclean drinking water for more than just the slums themselves. The Mithi River is highly contaminated because of the poor drainage and waste buildup. 

https://thaso2.wordpress.com/2009/04/12/the-slums-of-mumbai/

Below is chart describing the changes in levels of pollution in the Mithi River from a Scholar article:

The present investigation along the Mithi River of Mumbai deals with the study of physico-chemical parameters like pH, 

Dissolved Oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand content in water samples. The study was performed over a period of 8 months from October 2013 to May 2014. Sampling was carried out at five different locations along the stretch of the Mithi River in Mumbai. The study points towards Pollution Status of the Mithi River. 

COD results of Mithi River

Periods

Sampling Locations	Oct ‘13	Nov. ‘13	Dec. ’13	Jan. ‘14	Feb. ‘14	Mar. ‘14	Apr. ‘14	May. ‘14
Santacruz	211	257	197	91	166	193	140	188
BKC	185	217	143	82	124	246	127	146
Dharavi	150	306	116	91	129	184	89	146
Bandra E	123	247	134	109	104	167	76	125
Kurla	176	217	125	73	85	189	102	135

http://www.ijirae.com/images/downloads/vol1issue6/JYEN10080.02.pdf

SOLUTIONS

Potential Solutions
Potential solutions to the problem would be to educate the people i the slums that there is an overpopulation problems and how they can change some ways of life to help the problem. Another is to clean up the slums an provide free clean drinking water to those in the slums to help prevent the spread of disease and other illnesses.

http://danielbenson.hubpages.com/hub/Dharavi-Mumbai-The-Pros-and-Cons-of-Slum-Living

Organizational Help
The Lehman Brothers Bank (Based in the United States) proposed a 790 million dollar redevelopment plan but the locals in the area and those near the area are fighting against this plan because they say it would cause more harm than good. The locals understand the plan as, “I will get only 225 sq. ft, regardless how much area I own now.”  The plan states, “Each family will get 225 sq. ft of space in multi-storied buildings that will be maintained by the developer for a 15-year period. The developers must provide 30 million sq. ft of housing, schools, parks and roads for these families. In return, they can build 40 million sq. ft of homes and offices for sale.”
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/UnouoCTZDd8YLPeRrethTP/Dharavi-redevelopment-plan-is-robbing-us-of-space-residents.html

CONCLUSION

http://pixshark.com/dharavi-poverty.htm

Resolution
There is a very slim chance that this issue will ever be resolved even though the government has agreed to a fivesector redevelopment model, because the technical nittygritty such as the premium that developers would have to pay for land, the size of flats that would be provided to the slumdwellers, and the bidding norms have not been worked out. It is difficult to sufficiently house Dharavi's population within the land provided as well as expensive. And since this is a special project for redevelopment of entire Dharavi, the state government has frozen slum rehabilitation schemes and the redevelopment of old buildings. Practically nothing is happening in Dharavi and the residents are merely being sold the dream of a modern township. 
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-08-20/news/28484494_1_dharavi-slum-rehabilitation-welfare-schemes

Lessons
The lessons that can be learned by analyzing the effects of overpopulation are to stop the problem before it occurs because when there is a large draw towards urbanization, it is hard for an economy to fulfill the needs of every person even if they have enough money to pay for housing and food. 












Sources
http://www.ijirae.com/images/downloads/vol1issue6/JYEN10080.02.pdf

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-08-20/news/28484494_1_dharavi-slum-rehabilitation-welfare-schemes

http://www.livemint.com/Politics/UnouoCTZDd8YLPeRrethTP/Dharavi-redevelopment-plan-is-robbing-us-of-space-residents.html

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/216254/dharavi-self-created-special-economic.html