SPARC - Society For The Promotion Of Area Resource Centers

SPARC engages in diverse housing activities, including market-financed projects, subsidised housing, and individual house upgrading loans. Market-financed initiatives involve collaborating with developers and Government subsidies for relocation or housing at the original place of habitation. Subsidised housing focuses on upgrading slum dwellings with 90% Government financing. SPARC also provides loans to support individual house improvements. Additionally, the organisation recognizes the importance of incremental housing, where households gradually enhance their homes over time. SPARC's efforts aim to offer secure and improved housing solutions for India's urban poor.

In its water and sanitation efforts, SPARC constructs subsidised community-managed toilet blocks, supports individual households in building their own toilet seats, and provides loans for sanitation projects. The organisation recognizes the importance of community involvement in maintaining and managing these facilities. SPARC's initiatives have successfully implemented innovative designs for toilet blocks, improved sanitation infrastructure in slums, and leveraged government funding to enhance city-wide sanitation. By addressing the unique challenges of urban areas, such as limited space and inadequate infrastructure, SPARC strives to improve hygiene and sanitation conditions for vulnerable communities.

SPARC engages in Resettlement & Rehabilitation (R&R) projects, relocating and rehabilitating urban poor from pavements, railway tracks, and slums. It fosters win-win partnerships between the poor and the city, involving affected families in the process. SPARC acts as a mediator, assisting in planning, execution, and paperwork. Community-led surveys mobilise and organise communities, facilitating negotiations with local authorities. Successful examples include railway track and Mumbai Port Trust relocations. SPARC's approach prioritizes community-driven relocation, transparency, and inclusivity. Collaborations with Tata Power and airport slum relocation demonstrate their commitment. SPARC supports families during transitions and provides essential services.

SPARC's climate change programme focuses on planning decentralised waste water, sewage, and solid waste management systems in sub-urban areas of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. With 68% of the land dedicated to forests, mangroves, and other natural zones, farming and tribal communities rely on these resources. However, increasing urbanization and migrant populations strain existing villages, leading to untreated sewage and waste, polluting groundwater. SPARC proposes a decentralised system managed by villagers, integrating it with the ecosystem. The project aims to protect biodiversity, reduce emissions, pollution, and flooding, and enhance livelihoods. Scaling this approach to other villages can effectively address the climate change impacts of unplanned urbanization. SPARC plans to map habitations with lakes, form federations, and seek investment for further project development.