icon-background-square
New
New
Year 7

Challenges in Mumbai

I can identify some of the challenges facing Mumbai and describe some ways in which the lives of people living there are unequal.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 7

Challenges in Mumbai

I can identify some of the challenges facing Mumbai and describe some ways in which the lives of people living there are unequal.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are high levels of inequality in Mumbai.
  2. It is estimated that around 1.2 million people earn less than 20 rupees a day.
  3. Mumbai's transport system is incredibly busy and overcrowded.
  4. Some people live in informal settlements, however these are some of the happiest settlements in India.

Keywords

  • Services - a system that supplies a public need, for example waste collection

  • Pollution - anything that makes the environment dirty or unhealthy

  • Informal settlement - areas of makeshift housing where the people who live there don’t own the land or have access to services like clean water, power, sanitation

  • Inequality - when something is not shared evenly between everyone

  • Poverty - not having enough money to afford basic human needs such as food, clothing or somewhere to live

Common misconception

Inequality is just about the difference in how much money people have.

There are many different inequalities between people’s lives such as access to education and health care, quality of housing, job opportunities and how people are treated.


To help you plan your year 7 geography lesson on: Challenges in Mumbai, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Cut up a cake or share out stickers unfairly to illustrate what inequality means.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
Where is Mumbai located?
North India
East India
South India
Correct answer: West India
Q2.
What is Mumbai known for?
Producing most of India’s food
Being a small coastal village
Correct answer: Being India’s financial and entertainment capital
Q3.
What is the population of Mumbai (2024 estimate)?
Correct answer: Over 20 million
2 million
5 thousand
Q4.
What is rural to urban migration?
Correct answer: The movement of people from the countryside to cities
People moving to another country
A seasonal change in population
Q5.
What is a major reason people move from rural areas to cities?
To live in a quieter environment
To have more space
Correct answer: To find better job opportunities
Q6.
What is one negative effect of rapid urban migration?
Less pollution
Correct answer: Overcrowding in cities
Decrease in population

4 Questions

Q1.
What is inequality?
Equal distribution of wealth and resources
Correct answer: The uneven distribution of resources, wealth, and opportunities
The ability to live in any part of the world
The creation of businesses in all countries
Q2.
What is pollution?
Correct answer: Anything that makes the environment dirty or unhealthy
Anything that makes the environment clean and healthy
Anything that is found in rural areas
Q3.
Mumbai is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Many people live in __________ settlements. These are located where there is unused land, sometimes in dangerous places.
Correct answer: informal
formal
safe
Q4.
Many people in Mumbai live in extreme . This means they cannot afford basic human needs; food, clothing, a place to live.
Correct Answer: poverty