Shimla
Shimla, the hill-top city, was the British Summer Capital. In the 19th to early 20th century, the upper slopes of the hill were developed for Imperial buildings, residences, and commercial centres. The lowest slopes of the hill settled Muslim and lower caste migrant people who worked for the city. It provided spaces for working class houses, godowns, cattle sheds, coolie quarters among others. Perched on a delicate ecosystem These areas now are at constant risk of environmental hazards such as floods, landslides and forest fires.
Urban SHADE project will work on the biggest informal settlement in Shimla – Krishna Nagar- which grew during colonial times, and the relatively newer informal colony of Eidgah Mohalla in Ruldu Bhatta.
Krishna Nagar
Focus group discussions use group interactions to produce qualitative data. The topics are chosen by the researcher who usually moderates the discussion. The key to this method is the use of interactions, that is sharing and comparing, that goes in group discussions, providing insights into what participants think and why they think the way they do. The strengths of focus groups is the variety of different perspectives and experiences that participants reveal during their interactive discussion.
Eidgah Colony, Ruldu Bhatta
Ruldu Bhatta is the second largest “slum” in Shimla city, second to Krishnanagar. It is home to more than 6000 residents, and is close to popular tourist destinations such as Scandal Point. Eidgah colony is the biggest informal settlement in Ruldu Bhatta.
The ward is elevated and has steep hairpin bends, making it difficult for vehicles to ply. Some roads are broken and damaged making it difficult to even walk. Nearly 90 percent of people here live in interior lanes with poor accessibility to motorable roads. Emergency services and fire tenders find it difficult to enter Ruldu Bhatta.
The colony has mostly migrant workers from other North Indian states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. These workers are mostly informal or daily wage labourers, carpenters, welders, construction labourers,often seen walking in a line towards the main road in the mornings.
Housing
A significant number of houses in the area are built on unstable slopes. The construction of houses inside Eidgah colony is haphazard, precarious and appears to be constructed on top of one another. The walls are a mix of brick, tin sheets and plywood sheets. The roofs are a mix of tin and wood. Roofs of only some houses have linter (structural materials used to provide support to walls and roofs). Many houses have damp walls and cracks, some of which have trees growing inside. This makes the houses precarious during heavy floods, and residents fear trees falling on their houses.
Caption: Hairpin bends make it difficult for people to walk, and vehicles to ply. Both photos- Inayat Kakar
Housing
A significant number of houses in the area are built on unstable slopes. The construction of houses inside Eidgah colony is haphazard, precarious and appears to be constructed on top of one another. The walls are a mix of brick, tin sheets and plywood sheets. The roofs are a mix of tin and wood. Roofs of only some houses have linter (structural materials used to provide support to walls and roofs). Many houses have damp walls and cracks, some of which have trees growing inside. This makes the houses precarious during heavy floods, and residents fear trees falling on their houses.
Vulnerability
Parts of this ward are prone to landslides and forest fire hazards. During the summer, the ward is prone to water scarcity leading to a drought-like situation. The ward records excess rainfall leading to urban floods and water logging in the months of July, August and September. Parts of Ruldu Bhatta are prone to land sinking.
Caption: Residents constantly worry that trees can fall during floods and destroy their homes
Healthcare
There is currently no primary healthcare facility in the Ruldu Bhatta ward. The nearest health facility is the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) or Rippon Hospital also called Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (secondary care hospital).