iShack: a model that can improve living conditions of people living in Indian slums

India is a rising economic power. With this rise we are also entering into a period of rapid urbanization. This may sound very good for people who belong to the recognized economy of the country, but we in most cases forget the other side where we are also adding endless slums in our country.

According to Government data, India’s slum population doubled, from 43 million in 2001 to 93 million in 2011 in ten years and it is projected to grow at 5% per year, adding nearly two million every year. This becomes worse when we examine the living conditions that prevail in Indian slums. Most of them lacks power, water, sewage etc.

So, what is the solution to this? A new dwelling concept called the iShack (short for "improved shack") hopes to make a big difference in the lives of people in slums.

The “iShack” concept has proven to bring solar power and better living conditions to the South African slums. The features of the newly-improved shack seem simple, not revolutionary; the homes have solar panels to charge a few lights and a cell phone, walls insulated with hay and clay, and slanted roofs that can collect rainwater. But the designers argue that these simple changes are exactly the right place to start.

The concept was designed by researchers at Stellenbosch University's sustainability institute (link) in South Africa. They discovered that by re-positioning the shack on a north-south axis, adding windows in specific locations, a solar panel on the roof and a number of low-cost features such as fire-retardant paint, a sloping roof with a gutter and modified building materials, they could upgrade the conventional corrugated or iron shack to a structure that stayed cooler, generated electricity and provided a means for harvesting rainwater.

With this initiative, Rather than moving people out of slums, they can be supported by providing better, upgraded housing in current locations.

The new concept can also be a help to rural places that has no access to electricity and this has attracted the attention of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given the sustainability institute $250,000 to scale up the experiment, build 100 more iShacks by the middle of 2013, and develop a business model.

In the absence of a viable model that caters to Slum housing needs, iShack could be a sustainable and economically viable affordable housing model for both government housing agencies and as well as private developers.


Article Written by Gopakumar Gopinathan
For More Details on the Article contact: ggopakumar@renewindians.com