Dhaka Slums: 5,000

People living in Slums: 4 mil

In Planet of Slums Mike Davis introduces the term “slums” in a poetic way as he allows the reader to imagine themselves as a marginalized pregnant woman, a young man who yearns for a brighter future and a farmer who must relocate his family out of a poverty stricken shantytown. Slum dwellers endure traumatic experiences on a daily basis, yet their stories will never be told nor will they be considered important. Examining twenty countries that withhold the largest slum populations Davis provides a new perspective for the reader, visually removing skyline images in megacities and replacing them with residential areas that are not idolized. Many individuals like these reside in urban neighborhoods rather than rural areas due to the rapidly increasing unplanned low-income urban settlements in developing countries; thus creating megacities. The alienation of social classes creates a notion that prohibits  engagement between the elite and the poor. Still, many believe that poverty is a choice of moral weakness. However, it is the effects of gentrification and inequality.

According to Renata Rubnikowicz ‘s “Where even the slums have their slums – Water Aid”, between 2020 and 2025 the total population of Dhaka city is projected to reach 25 million, with half of its people living in informal settlements and slums. Geof Wood and Sarah Salway examine urban vulnerability and its effects on slum dwellers in "Introduction: securing livelihoods in Dhaka slums". The authors interestingly note that underprivileged individuals are purposely excluded from safer environments and higher valued areas in the city. As a result, not only do they become victims of marginalization but also subject to flooding, fire risks, lack of adequate sanitation, lack of a safe play space for children, lack of the urge to self improve, as well as diseases and eviction. The constant threat of eviction (from government re-zoning or re-claiming land) reduces the incentives for ‘community’ members to self-invest or even to collaborate for operation and maintenance activity. Moreover, slum dwellers are forced to rely on negotiating with authorities, politicians, officials, and the Mafia. With uncertain employment, the urban poor struggle to survive. Unfortunately, many women resort to prostitution while the men engage in criminal activity.

 In “Urban Housing as an Issue of Redistribution through Planning? The Case of Dhaka City”, Anwara Begum discusses critical human rights and the importance of housing as a social policy issue. Many individuals are residing in urban areas than in rural areas due to the rapidly increasing unplanned low-income urban settlements in developing countries; thus creating megacities. Dhaka is currently one of the fastest growing metropolises in the world. “In addition to land scarcity, land speculation and endemic corruption, the high price of land is also due to the system of land registration… this has led low-income households to depend on family savings and informal sources of capital to build their own houses” (2007). 

According to Abu Anas "Migrant's journey from rural bangladesh shows sacrifices, dangers of slum life", "A 2014 census found that nearly 60 percent of slums in the north and south of Dhaka are built on private land". However, occupancy in privately owned slums are no more secure than public squatter settlements, due to the fluctuating rental prices by owner-developers. Without any contractual agreement or legal support, tenants have no power (2016). Slum dwellers’ right to the city not only affects the inconsistency of property but also mundane essentials, such as water.

Rubnikowicz examines the water crisis issue in Dhaka. “In 1997, a report estimated that 97 percent of poor households in Dhaka did not own the plot on which they lived…The water agency would not install water points in slums before because the squatters had no rights to be there and it had no way to recoup its costs” (2005). The purpose of Water Aid (Non Profit Organization) is to enforce individuals’ right to water and sanitation, whether or not they own land. However, due to the dense cities in Bangladesh, many areas continue to lack access to proper water and sanitation services causing diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, skin diseases and pneumonia. 

@SlideShare: "Demography of Karail Slum in Dhaka"