Life under coronavirus-enforced lockdown in massive Dharavi slum
Relying on donations
In Dharavi, where an estimated one million people live, residents are stretching out meals and relying on donations. But anxiety has been building since the lockdown began on March 25.
Most vulnerable to coronavirus
Dharavi, believed to be Asia's largest slum, is a tough place to be confined, and also one of the most vulnerable to the new coronavirus because of the density of its population and poor sanitation.
Unhygienic facilities
Hundreds of people sometimes share the same bathroom. Access to clean water is not guaranteed. Soap has become a luxury.
Anxious residents
Anxious residents have tied handkerchiefs or shirt sleeves around their faces in lieu of proper masks. Some have also barricaded alleyways using carts, bicycles and sticks. Signs warn outsiders to keep away.
Still, many residents say it is impossible to stay confined in small rooms, which are sometimes shared by day labourers who work different shifts.
No social distancing
Deep in the slums, people throng informal markets. Some adults kill time playing chess or watching videos on their cell phones. Children play cricket and cards.
Violators punished
Officers have punished lockdown violators by making them sit in the sun, do squats or by hitting them with sticks.
"It's very difficult. No one listens to us," said one police officer in Dharavi, adding that some bank employees shared special passes with friends so they could move around.
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