THE JAUNAPUR SLUM RESETTLEMENT SCHEME

jaunapur slum resettlement

The story of Jaunapur begins in 1996, with a Supreme Court
directive, stating that 3600 illegal squatters from Delhi's
ecologically sensitive Southern Ridge forest area be
1
resettled on its outskirts. The Slum & J.J. department
engineers, a private architectural firm and the Anangpur
Building Centre, submitted their respective proposals. The
Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of
Delhi2 sanctioned the project in principle to the Anangpur
Building Centre and approved the layout plan.
3
The Anangpur Building Centre provided the main
technical support and re-examined the existing
government policy to devise an innovative solution as project planners of the Jaunapur resettlement
scheme with their extensive experience in policy planning, materials development and
implementation of slum housing. The Slum and J.J. Department provided administrative support while
the Nizamuddin Building Centre4 was responsible for the implementation, with its large trained
manpower and finance for the demonstration units.

Under the aegis of Anil Laul, the Anangpur Building Centre identified Jaunapur as an ideal site for
rehabilitation. Located close to industrial work areas of the National Capital Region the site has
adequate public transport linkage but is not connected to the city's services. The degraded highland
with its catchment area has coarse, sandy soil that permits absorption, filtration and provides
decentralized disposal and ground water recharge.
The engineers of the Slum Department were resistant to the unconventional approach to site
development, building techniques and implementation system and the project met with stiff
resistance from them.

In May 1997, the Lt. Governor of Delhi gave the project a kick-start by ordering the Nizamuddin
Building Centre to build a pilot scheme comprising 52 units in Jaunapur to demonstrate its feasibility
and efficiency. The issues this project addressed were three-fold a) financial, b) paucity of land and
c) infrastructure. Even though, eventually, the implementation phase only provides skeletal houses,
the pilot project demonstrates the skeletal unit, the one room unit and the two-room expanded unit
so as to determine the final feasibility of the project clearly. At half the cost of conventional housing,
the pilot scheme successfully built at Jaunapur suggests a viable solution for Delhi's slum problem. This
project demonstrates the successful metamorphosis of wasteland into economically and
ecologically viable human settlements.

The Project concept hinges around appropriate land choice by using degraded highland as the
primary governing factor for Human Settlement Planning.

1.J.J. stands for Jhuggi Jhopri, which in Indian terminology, denotes shanties.

2.This is the body of elected representatives, which deal with the day-to-day activities of Delhi, headed by duly elected
representatives.

3.Anangpur Building Centre is an Entrepreneur Building Centre.

4.The Nizamuddin Building Centre is the implementing partner that does the actual process of construction based on
the designs provided by Anangpur Building centre . This Centre is jointly promoted by Housing and Urban Development
Corporation (HUDCO), Government of India and the 'Slum & J.J. Department' of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi
(MCD).
MAIN FEATURES OF THE PROJECT
jaunapur slum resettlement
S
ites and Skeletal System

The 'sites and services' scheme, involving the building of foundations and structures by the owners was
economically unviable in this case due to the inherent undulating nature of the site, entailing large
scale dynamiting, the individual procurement and use of which could prove impractical. The best
solution in such a case would be a skeletal structure in addition to a fully developed sites and services
scheme. The skeletal system consists of plinth beams, structural framework of columns, funicular shell
roofs using waste stone as infill, prefinished hollow core blocks, complete toilet cores, sites and
services including sanitary lines, roads and paths, electrification and landscaping. This pilot scheme
establishes the basic guiding principles of Human Settlement Planning.

S ite and the Surroundings

Jaunapur is located on the outskirts of Delhi close to the industrial work areas of the National Capital
Region. It is not serviced by the city's infrastructure systems. The Gram Sabha lands5 that are being
proposed for the resettlement are actually degraded wastelands, a result of rampant quarrying. It is
very rocky, heavily contoured and is presently unused. Though written off as wasteland, it offers a
great potential for development that could be self-sustaining and economical. In fact its apparent
drawbacks are judiciously used to its advantage. The site is fed by two roads, one from the Jaunapur
village side and the other from Bapu Camp. The buildable zone, 17.7 hectares, is the area with lesser
quarrying and has sparsely located pits and a gentler slope. The non-buildable zone, 5.9 hectares, is
an area of high quarrying with steep cliffs. The choice of such undulating land with a slope of 17
metres (m) in 24.4 hectares (61 acres), benefited the scheme as it had large catchments with a high
5. Common village land
jaunapur slum resettlement

Site plan
jaunapur slum resettlement potential for water sources and accommodated on-site sewage disposal, thus ensuring a sustainable
system. The lowest depression area is a natural catchment suggesting more than an adequate
source of ground water for the high density settlement that is proposed and making it the best option
for forestry/ vegetation. The soil type is basically rocky (Delhi quartzite), with Badarpur (coarse sand
and an ideal absorbent) and very little alluvial soil - with deep pits (up to 10-15 m) as a result of
quarrying. The coarse, sandy soil is ideal for absorption, filtration and ground water recharge.

P
lanning

An appropriate arterial road based on the least interference with the natural watercourses is
established. The next stage, that of the feeders, are located such that they function much as veins dp
in the circulatory system.
The next step entails the micro detail of the housing typology appropriate to the region. A manner of
grouping avoiding inactive negative areas, providing interactive courtyards, disincentive to
encroachment are some of the criteria for the cluster planning. The construction methodologies
utilizing local materials for their inherent values further refined the typology of the homes. A grouping
of these micro decisions and realignment of the roads to suit the interactive grouping of the clusters,
eventually leads to the Master Plan.

C
luster Planning Vs Conventional Back to Back Planning

The morphology of 9 units is grouped in a 'through cluster', as opposed to

enclosed courts or linear streets. This creates a group identity responding
to the socio-cultural needs. Plots placed diagonally give pleasant
breaks to the facade as opposed to conventional gridiron layouts with
narrow monotonous streets.
With a continuous cross
breeze, the diagonal
placement of plots makes
the Venturi cooling effect
possible.

Each cluster comprises 4

dwelling units from one row
and five dwelling units from
the other row, common
facilities of two W.C.'s, one bath, one washing area and
open court at each end of the cluster. The courts have a
jaunapur slum resettlement

Typical Cluster Plan

jaunapur slum resettlement functional hierarchy from private to public towards the street, and for
different activities washing area, women's court and men's court. The
wet and dry areas in the court have been effectively segregated.
Provision of basic services at cluster level optimizes the length of service
lines. Streets are located along valleys for proper drainage with houses
placed across the ridges. Roads/ streets occur every 9 units, reducing
road lengths and saving on infrastructural costs. Cluster planning differs
from courtyard planning, when no territorial definitions can be
established and when the ratio of the court width is more than twice the
final height of the dwelling unit.

Jaunapur Slum resettlement scheme is the result of various cluster

planning pilots planned over the past twelve years by Anangpur
Building Centre. The solutions offered by the Centre were put to test for
the Slum Department in several schemes significant of which are:

! Rehabilitation of 212 families at Proyog Vihar in Naraina, Delhi.

! Rehabilitation of 1984 riot affected victims, 1400 families, at Rohini,
North Delhi,
! Pilot scheme for Slum In-situ upgradation in high density area (625 d.u
/hectare) for 1850
! Households at Bhoomiheen Camp, Delhi.
! Pilot scheme for 1229 families at Papankala, Delhi
! Leprosy colony for 800 families, Delhi. Bhoomiheen Camp

However, these were mere architectural, planning and cost-effective technology application
exercises. The sustainability factor was completely ignored, as the land for the rehabilitation was pre-
determined by the Slum and J.J. Department. The Jaunapur Slum Resettlement Scheme was the first
instance where Sustainable Development was the pivotal issue giving Anangpur Building Centre the
additional liberty of appropriate land choice and dealing with the problem of slums in a holistic
manner. The resultant solution examines the plethora of issues that need to be addressed for
Sustainable Human Settlement Design.

D
welling Units

The dwelling units are

designed as skeletal structures,
which are then to be
completed by the
beneficiaries themselves, by
reusing walling material from
their earlier homes. The
beneficiary families are
expected to contribute in
terms of labour and material
for providing the walling
material of the dwelling units to
complete the Skeletal Units. The families will be assisted in transporting the existing walling material
form their current dwelling to the settlement site as part of the scheme6. The beneficiaries may use the
facilities available with the Nizamuddin Building Centre to make permanently finished walling blocks
as already used in the pilot scheme.
6. In India the material cost in Building Construction is 75% whereas the labour cost is 25%, so it is seen as appropriate in both
financial and environmental terms to reuse material wherever possible. This scheme facilitates such a reuse of materials. The
Squatter settlements generally have poor roofing, but the walling material is easily saved and transportable.
jaunapur slum resettlement The dwelling units (d.u.) are arrow shaped, with the tail of the arrow forming the cooking alcove. This
cooking space is provided with an inclined R.C.C slab for future access upstairs. In accordance with
Government norms, each dwelling unit has a habitable area of 15.8 sq.m./ d.u. with an identical unit
on the upper floor(minus the area of approximately 2.2 sq.m. allocated for the individual toilet and
bath ) and 7.3 m x 7.3m wide courts shared between 4-5 units.
In effect, each slum dweller is given a unit of 15.8 sq.m. incremental to 31.6 sq.m. The proposed policy
leans into the byelaws and merely rearranges areas in order to minimise encroachment, renting and
tradability of the units besides ensuring a clean and healthy environment. The achievable density is
110 d.u. / acre ( 272 d.u. / hec) and the resultant density achieved is 85 d.u. / acre (210 d.u. / hec). The
net living area does not change as the WC and bath areas are now being provided outside, at the
cluster level. This is in conformity with the National Housing Policy of the Government. The net livable
area per dwelling unit remains the same.

The present government policy stipulates the size of a d.u. as 18 sq.m. and allows 100 % built up area.
This was initiated for areas like Rohini in Delhi, where riot affected victims were rehabilitated. The units
were also being given away as grants, as replacement for what they had lost. The settlers were not
slum dwellers and were used to a better lifestyle. Hence they were provided a bath and W.C. inside
their units of 18 sq.m. With the toilets inside, this became a highly rentable property. Since the Govt.
gives a heavy subsidy for such projects, it is unfair that settlers should be given a luxurious way of living
that they make a tradable commodity out of it. In Prayog Vihar, Delhi, it was discovered that when
group toilets were given at the cluster level, the people maintained them, provided small groups
shared the facility. This successful aspect of planning designed and implemented by Anangpur
Building Centre is improved upon in the pilot scheme at Jaunapur.

S
anitation

In providing community
toilets or individual
facilities in a commune,
each has it's own intrinsic
set of problems. The
former has to be
maintained by the
government or an NGO
and the latter by the
individual. The slum
dwellers have a semi-
rural background as they
have migrated from rural
or suburban areas. A toilet within the house is considered unhygienic and is taboo. More often than
not, these are blocked off and used as storage. Community toilets in several areas have been tried.
These often require maintenance by external agencies such as municipal sanitation department or
NGO’s. These once again have inherent drawbacks of poor maintenance. Often residents of the
areas where these are located object to the connection of disposal systems to the overburdened
municipal lines laid out for the original residents of the zone. The solution lies midway, by allocating 2.2
sq.m. at the cluster level (stipulated Government norms for toilets) in the form of group toilets. Since
the cluster is formed by individual choice, it ensures maintenance of common services, as in Mumbai's
“chawls”7-abundant proof of this scheme's success.

7.Chawls are typical community condominiums for economically weaker sections grouped around a common courtyard
with facility of W.C. and bath at a group level. It was and continues to be a typical living pattern in Mumbai region in India.
8.leeach pits are made of open jointed masonry without a concrete base. The absence of a vent allows for anaerobic
digestion process that is quicker with no foul odor. Tried and tested, it is strongly advocated by World Bank, as an alternative
to centralised system of soil disposal.