[7] Dharavi has suffered from many epidemics and other disasters, including a widespread plague in 1896 which killed over half of the population of Bombay.

[13] In the 1850s, after decades of urban growth under East India Company and British Raj, the city's population reached half a million.

People who worked with leather, typically a profession of lowest Hindu castes and of Muslim Indians, moved into Dharavi.

[11] These industries created jobs, labor moved in, but there was no government effort to plan or investment in any infrastructure in or near Dharavi.

The living quarters and small scale factories grew haphazardly, without provision for sanitation, drains, safe drinking water, roads or other basic services.

[12] Dharavi's first mosque, Badi Masjid, started in 1887 and the oldest Hindu temple, Ganesh Mandir, was built in 1913.

[12] Dharavi's Co-operative Housing Society was formed in the 1960s to uplift the lives of thousands of slum dwellers by the initiative of Shri.

[16] The latest urban redevelopment plan proposed for the Dharavi area is managed by American-trained architect Mukesh Mehta.

[18] There is still a significant local opposition to the plans, largely because existing residents still feel 33 square metres (350 sq ft) of revised permanent alternate accommodation per tenant is not adequate each.

Concerns have also been raised by residents who fear that some of their small businesses in the "informal" sector may not be relocated under the redevelopment plan.

In 2008 German students Jens Kaercher and Lucas Schwind won a Next Generation prize for their innovative redevelopment strategy designed to protect the current residents from needing to relocate.

[19] Other redevelopment schemes include the "Dharavi Masterplan" devised by British architectural and engineering firm Foster + Partners, that proposes "double-height spaces that create an intricate vertical landscape and reflect the community's way of life" built-in phases that the firm says would "eliminate the need for transit camps," instead catalyzing the rehabilitation of Dharavi "from within."

To make the redevelopment more economically viable, the state government's plan is involving transforming the region into a hub for commercial and business activity.

[27] With Dharavi spread over 200 hectares (500 acres), it is also estimated to have a population density of 869,565 people per square mile.

Other artisans specialise in pottery work, textile goods manufacturing, retail and trade, distilleries and other caste professions – all of these as small-scale household operations.

The area of Antop Hill lies to the east while the locality called Matunga is located in the South.

Due to its location and poor sewage and drainage systems, Dharavi particularly becomes vulnerable to floods during the wet season.

[34] The low-rise building style and narrow street structure of the area make Dharavi very cramped and confined.

[35] Two major suburban railways feed into Dharavi, making it an important commuting station for people in the area going to and from work.

Markets for Dharavi's goods include stores in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

[11] The open sewers in the city drain to the creek causing a spike in water pollutants, septic conditions, and foul odours.

[42] Dharavi has experienced a long history of epidemics and natural disasters, sometimes with significant loss of lives.

A series of plagues and other epidemics continued to affect Dharavi, and Mumbai in general, for the next 25 years, with high rates of mortality.

Typical patients to arrive in hospitals were in late and critical care condition, and the mortality rates were abnormally high.

However, once having entered the narrow lanes Dharavi proves that the prejudice of slums as dirty, underdeveloped, and criminal places does not fit real living conditions.

Nice curtains at the windows and balconies covered by flowers and plants indicate that people try to arrange their homes as cosy and comfortable as possible.In the West, Dharavi was most notably used as the backdrop in the British film Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

(1988), Parinda (1989), Dharavi (1991), Bombay (1995), Ram Gopal Varma's "Indian Gangster Trilogy" (1998–2005), the Sarkar series (2005–2017), Footpath (2003), Black Friday (2004), Mumbai Xpress (2005), No Smoking (2007), Traffic Signal (2007), Aamir (2008), Mankatha (2011), Thalaivaa (2013), Bhoothnath Returns (2014), Kaala (2018) and Gully Boy (2019).