Michael Bothager I Photojournalist http://michaelbothager.dk photojournalist | +45.2211.4477 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:30:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Received a Grant http://michaelbothager.dk/received-a-grant/ http://michaelbothager.dk/received-a-grant/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:08:10 +0000 michael http://michaelbothager.dk/?p=224 I just received a grant, allowing me to go back to Kosovo, so I can start research and work on a new story.

]]> http://michaelbothager.dk/received-a-grant/feed/ 0 Leaving for an assignment http://michaelbothager.dk/leaving-for-an-assignment/ http://michaelbothager.dk/leaving-for-an-assignment/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:04:17 +0000 michael http://michaelbothager.dk/?p=220 I’m going to Gothenburg, Sweden, on an assignment for Corbis. I’ll be back by the end of the weekend.

]]> http://michaelbothager.dk/leaving-for-an-assignment/feed/ 0 Maximum City Maximum Slum http://michaelbothager.dk/maximum-city-maximum-slum/ http://michaelbothager.dk/maximum-city-maximum-slum/#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:22:57 +0000 michael http://michaelbothager.dk/?p=10 And perhaps in abodes of poverty, where health, learning, shelter and security are not birthrights, the soul is not a birthright, either. - William T. Vollmann, The Atlas

No one knows exactly how many people live in Mumbai, India. In 2007 the United Nation’s estimated that 19 million people lives there. This is more people than the populations of small countries like Denmark, Norway and Sweden put together – stuck in a city slightly larger than 5 x Manhattan Island. This makes Mumbai to the most densely populated city in the world.

Every day up to 300 families arrives in the city in pursuit of a better life. A life where shelter, clean drinking water and access to toilets is not a right but a privilege.  More than half the city’s residents lives in slum or on the streets.

Mumbai, known as Maximum City and The City of Dreams, is where the extremes meet. The worlds largest slum population lives next door to some of the worlds richest people.

Dharavi::The second largest slum in Asia, wedged between Mumbai's two railways and under a string of power pylons. Slum Pockets::A view from top 34th floor of the fashionable hotel Four Seasons over the Worli district, one of the higher class areas in Mumbai with slum pockets nestling between the highrisers. More than 2.000 slum pockets is scattered around Mumbai. Outdoor life::Much off the everyday activities takes place outdoor. Housing in the slums are tight, with a families living in an apartment smaller than an american garage. Mahim Creek::The Sagar Samede/Fisherman Colony wraps itself around two water pipes going downtown. Cramped houses and narrow alleys, lack of sanitation, drinking water and other amenities makes this place a slum, housing Koli fishermen and immigrants. Hot in the Summer::Chillies laid out for sale in a backstreet in the PMG Colony in Mankhurd. All of your hearts desires::Just outside the PMG Colony in the Western Mumbai suburb Mankhurd, a market draws customers from the resettlement and the rest of Mankhurd, including a shantytown slum area. Limbering in transit::Transit Camp 138A and 138B in Mankhurd is home to 2.500 families waiting for an apartment under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority. Families wait for up to 10 years, after their previous home in a slum area was demolished. The housing in the transit camp is very simple, a single room with dirt or tile floor, no water or sanitation. The Shaikh family have lived in the camp in seven years. Limbering in transit::Transit Camp 138A and 138B in Mankhurd is home to 2.500 families waiting for an apartment under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority. Families wait for up to 10 years, after their previous home in a slum area was demolished. The housing in the transit camp is very simple, a single room with dirt or tile floor, no water or sanitation. The Chavan family have lived in the camp in five years. Limbering in transit::Transit Camp 138A and 138B in Mankhurd is home to 2.500 families waiting for an apartment under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority. Families wait for up to 10 years, after their previous home in a slum area was demolished. The housing in the transit camp is very simple, a single room with dirt or tile floor, no water or sanitation. The Ansari family have lived in the camp in five years. Limbering in transit::Transit Camp 138A and 138B in Mankhurd is home to 2.500 families waiting for an apartment under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority. Families wait for up to 10 years, after their previous home in a slum area was demolished. The housing in the transit camp is very simple, a single room with dirt or tile floor, no water or sanitation. The Pawar family have lived in the camp in five years. Dharavi::Living conditions are tight and livestock share the living space with people. Staying fit::Karu Mugem, 29, works out in a small fitness club in Lallubhai Compound. The area is a resettlement for 11.000 families. Within reach?::Vinyak, 10, checks the recharging of the family mobile phone. India is the country in the world with most mobile phones per capita. City of Dreams::View over Mumbai from Aer Bar on the top of The Four Seasons Hotel. From the posh bar patrons can look down over slum, a racecourse and houses in Mumbai. Reaching out::Everywhere in Mumbai small telephone shops, from which interstate and international calls can be made. The charges in the shops are much lower than using the ever present mobile phone. Almost half the population has a mobile phone, but only 1/3 has their own toilets. Hindu or Halal::Even though the majority of Mumbai's residents are hindu, one in sixth is a muslim. Halal butcher Sulejman Ashek has his small store in the Joyit Nagar slum. During a weekend, he slaughters 8-10 goats, which has been stored in the shop during the week. Dharavi::The Dharavi slum became famous in the movie "Slumdog Millionaire". Daily life in Dharavi has since become a tourist attraction. Small groups of five is escorted around the slum by guides. Dharavi::An empty apartment block has become the home of squatters, The resettlement projects are not as successful as expected, partly due the financial crisis. Lallubhai Compound::The area is an slum resettlement with 11.000 families, and is wedged between three other slums, housing around one million people. Mangal Podi, 32, has for the last five years had a view over the Sathe Nagar slum. Playtime::Sagar (10, right) plays a game with his friends Ali and Juneid. Slum City::Sheela Laxman Sarte, 60, lives in a small shantytown with her husband Prakesh Yadav, 55, behind Transit Camp 138B in Mankhurd. A single row of 18 shacks makes up the shantytown. Santhe Nagar Health Clinic::A small health clinic run by the NGO Apnalaya services the nearby communities of slum. The clinic has an average of 30-40 patients a day, depending on the season. During the monsoon, the count goes up. Homeless::The official statistics indicate that more than 100.000 residents do not have a home. They live in the streets close by their jobs, or with friends and family. Cuffe Parade::Koli Fishermen preparing nets in Cuffe Parade, a Koli colony near Nariman Point, South Mumbai. Cuffe Parade consists of 1000 families and 350 fishing boats. Workers::Small workshops is everywhere, tucked away In small lofts or in narrow alleys. To get into this sewing workshop, you have to climb a ladder against the wall and wiggle your way through a two feet gap. Sathe Nagar::The slums do not have any sewers. Waste water from households and workshops, and rainwater in from the Monsoon, is led by narrow gutters in the alleys. Stairwell Sathe Nagar::Early morning at Sathe Nagar. Baburao Bhawaskar cleans his autorickshaw in Sathe Nagar, where he have lived for 20 years with his family of 7. 100.000 3-wheeled auto rickshaws and 1 million other vehicles are one of Mumbai's worst pollution sources. Dharavi entrepreneurs::Dharavi is a thriving business hub, with thousands and thousands of business'. Residents here have lived here for generations, and are not inclined to move out as part of the slum rehabilitation schemes. Crowded rush::Morning rush hour at Victoria Station, where 5,5 million passengers pass each workday. The bus terminal adjacent to the stations packs the busses full before leaving. A total 11 million people are transported by rail and busses every day. Commuting::Mumbai's 2 major railways ends in southern Mumbai. A daily commute of 2-4 hours is not uncommon. Bandra - high-life and slum::The Tata Colony opposite the high-profile Bandra-Krula Complex is a transit camp for mainly slum dwellers from Dharavi, who have had their homes demolished. They live in old chawls here for 15-20 years, waiting for a new apartment as part of the rehabilitation projects under SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Project). Mumbai Streets::Vasanti Padma is one Mumbai's 100.000 homeless. Since 1984 she and her family have lived on the pavement in front of Mahim Station. Karate::Every night a karate training session takes place for the children in the PMG Colony and neighbouring areas. Schools In::Chander, 7, on his way to summer school. He lives in the slum of Mharashta Nagar in Mankhurd. Daily Water::Transit Camp 138B has no water supply. The residents are forced to buy water at 1 Rupee pr. 35 litres. The water is taken from the neighbouring slum Sathe Nagar. Recycling::Sudat, 12, dives into a container filled with garbage and sewage to find plastic. A total of 4 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced every year in Mumbai, and is the source of income for workers in the recycling industry. Resettlement slum::Lallubhai Compound was completed in 2003, and is the home of 11.000 families in 40 apartment blocks. Homeless::150 families live on the streets near Mahim Station. During the day they hide their personal belongings behind the wall so the police do not evict them from the pavement. Waste::In the early hours in the morning, waste is burned in the open areas at Lallubhai Compound. Lords of the Flies::The alleys between the buildings in Lallubhai Compound is so narrow that a car hardly can pass. Leaking sewage pipes and litter oozes in the summer heat, making the smell unbearable. Bandra::Slum pocket in Bandra, one of Mumbai's most desired uptown suburbs. A muslim boy is on his way the the nearby Mosque. ]]> http://michaelbothager.dk/maximum-city-maximum-slum/feed/ 0 New site http://michaelbothager.dk/new-site/ http://michaelbothager.dk/new-site/#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:45:39 +0000 michael http://michaelbothager.dk/?p=1 Welcome to my new site. I finally got around to do something about it.

Over the next short period, I will add images, stories and stuff. Please bear with me in the meanwhile.

Take care,

Michael

]]> http://michaelbothager.dk/new-site/feed/ 0 The Dirty Touch http://michaelbothager.dk/the-dirty-touch/ http://michaelbothager.dk/the-dirty-touch/#comments Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:00:12 +0000 michael http://michaelbothager.dk/?p=165 Mitrovica, best known from the ethnic clashes between Serbs and Kosovo-Albanians during and after the Kosovo War in 1998-1999. Kosovo-Albanians, Serbs and the Roma population have all been persecuted. Today, a large part of the Roma population still lives in IDP (internally displaced people) camps in northern Mitrovica, in areas of high lead pollution from the Trepca Industries. Camps, that UN KFOR forces moved out of due to the pollution. Two camps remains, Cesmin Lug and Osterode, the former french KFOR camp. The Roma people still living here are suffering from poor slum housing, lack of water and toilets and the lead dust from the nearby mine tailings.

In Tito’s Yugoslavia, the city was defined by a single, large company, The Trepca Industries, who run the mine and the factories for decades. In the 1970‘s more than 24.000 workers was employed in one of Yugoslavia’s proudest companies. The Trepca legacy is today more than 33 million tonnes of mine tailings scattered around Mitrovica, defunct factories and wastelands, and an unemployment rate of 70 percent. In 2000, UN forces closed down the lead melting plant in northern Mitrovica, the areas most polluting factory. Today the air quality is slowly getting better, but the mine tailings stored under the open sky is still a health hazard.

In Mitrovica, the children has four times as high lead concentrations in their blood as children from other nearby cities. Playing in Mitrovica is playing with a dirty touch.

The Dirty Touch::Erduan, 8, has lived his entire life in the polluted Cesmin Lug Camp. His lead count is 67 μg/dl. WHO says that any value over 10 μg/dl is damaging, and values over 45 μg/dl requires immediate medical treatment. Currently there is no treatment available to the residents in the camp. Bad health::X-Ray image of Senhia's (4) lungs. Living in the camp means poor insulation from the weather and moisture. These conditions has affected Senhia's health. She suffers from reoccurring bronchitis. Her bad health and high levels of lead in her bloodstream is hindering her growth. Trepca Legacy::The Trepca Zinc Plant in Southern Mitrovica, where large storage areas of old mine tailings is next to the Sitnica River, where locals fish. Is Home Safe?::Flurim Masurica and his daughter Senhia, 4, are IDP's (internally displaced people) from Roma Mahala in the southern part of Mitrovica. At the end of the civil war in 2000, the Roma's and the Serb's where chased out of the southern Mitrovica. The IDP's settled in the UN Camp Cesmin Lug and other camps in the northern Mitrovica. The Masurica Family of 4 has lived here for 10 years. Recycling::After the war in 2000 entrepreneurs like Genc scavenged burned out cars and bombed out houses for metals like Zinc and Copper. Today Genc runs a small recycling plant in the outskirts of Mitrovica. Since the Trepca INdustries closed down the majority of their plants, unemployment has been more than 50%. Waste dump::The 30 year old dump site Germova was restored by danish DANIDA after the civil war. Residents from Mitrovica and other nearby villages scavenges the dump site for recyclable plastic and metals. When the dump trucks arrive, the waste pickers jump onto the truck to get the best pieces as it empties it load. Dust everywhere::To keep the dust in the city to a minimum, store owners was the pavement in front of their shops regularly. The dust is a serious health hazard to children playing on the dirt and on the floors at home. Campaigns and radio spots educates the residents, but the children in Mitrovica city still has 4 times higher amount of lead in their blood compared to children in other cities in the area. Elhame Haliti::Elhame has lived with her husband Flurim and their 2 children Senhia, 4, and Erduan, 8, in the Cesmin Lug Camp for the last 10 years. Living here has severely damaged their health, and weekly she checks the lead in their blood. The lead pollution severely affects the evolution and growth of children, making it difficult to learn and may ultimately result in death. Cesmin Lug Camp::The camp was build by UN on lead polluted soil, and with lead painted boards. The neighbouring area are mine tailings from the Trepca Mine, stored under the open sky. In 2004 a recreative area, "Alley of Health" was established nearby, where French UN soldiers would exercise until tests shown that the soldiers became lead polluted. Today, some 33 million tonnes of mine tailings still stored around Mitrovica,s exposed to the weather. Family Lunch::The Nishila family settled in the Cesmin Lug Camp in 2000. Today the camp is home for 300 Roma-Ashkali family. Air pollution::Mitrovica is one of Europe's most polluted cities. 33 million tonnes of lead-heavy mine tailings is stored under the open skies, and industrial waste is regularly burned outside. Sewage::Sewer pipes exits into the Lushta River, running though Mitrovica. Clean home::Sabahate does the dishes in the Cesmin Lug Camp. The homes in the camp are comparable to a small suburbian garage in USA. Families up to 10 live here, eating, sleeping and living in a single room. The barracks are build with thin plywood, leaks at the ceiling and are difficult to heat up. The Dirty Touch::Mitrovica used to be defined by the Trepca Industries, the city’s largest company. Since the civil war in 1999 and 2000, most of the Trepca activities was closed down, and the areas has decayed since then. The Zinc Factory in southern Mitrovica has large storage areas next to the Sitnica river, where rainwater seeps from the waste into the river.
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