When COVID-19 cases started to rise in Mumbai in March, Dharavi, Asia largest slum area, was considered to be a vulnerable target in the city. By June 12, Dharavi had recorded nearly 2,000 cases of COVID-19 and 75 deaths, forcing authorities to conduct door-to-door checks of residents in the area.
But cases in Dharavi have started declining in recent weeks. And Dharavi's progress from hotspot to possible symbol of hope has been noticed by the WHO. WHO chief Tedros Adha-nom Ghebreyesus on Friday cited Dharavi as an example of how COVID-19 could be contained through proactive action.
Speaking at a virtual press conference, Ghebreyesus noted, "In the last six weeks, [COVID-19] cases have more than doubled. [However] there are many examples from around the world that have shown that even if the outbreak is very intense, it can still be brought back under control," Ghebreyesus said.
"And some of these examples are Italy, Spain and South Korea, and even in Dharavi—a densely packed area in the megacity of Mumbai—a strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus," Ghebreyesus emphasised.
Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray tweeted about the recognition for Dharavi. "This is huge for our very own Dharavi that has chased the virus. State Govt and @mybmc teams, along with NGOs, Elected Representatives and most importantly, Dharavikars! Let’s keep this going! Thank you @WHO for recognising their efforts, and will keep going on," Thackeray tweeted.
The Hindustan Times reported, "Experts say Dharavi managed to flatten the curve by the end of June. Throughout June, Dharavi recorded an average of 18 new cases daily, with the highest single-day spike in recorded cases on June 1 (34 new cases). Since July, the number of new cases has declined." On Friday, 12 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Dharavi, taking its total figure to 2,359 cases. Interestingly, the BMC recently stopped disclosing the number of COVID-19 fatalities in Dharavi.
Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner of G (North) ward, which has jurisdiction over Dharavi, told Hindustan Times, “Testing, massive screening, identifying patients and their high-risk contacts, and isolating them from the community has worked very well for Dharavi. The focus is to maintain this situation in Dharavi, so we will continue these efforts.”
Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia, is spread across 2.5 square km and has a population of around 6.5 lakh with people living in tiny houses.
