Migration

Like most cities of the world, Dhaka also has a large number of slum population and squatters. Slum population is also growing in other large cities of Bangladesh. There were 5.4 lakh slum households with 2.4 million population in the country in 1997 (BBS, Slum Survey, 1997)

In Dhaka alone, 54.85% of the population are below the poverty line with 31.88% below the hard-core poverty line It has been estimated that by 2025, nearly 35% of the landmass will be required to meet the demand for human settlements. The demand for housing will be much more acute in urban areas where 3 million households live below the poverty line. Much of this demand arises from workers employed in urban-based industries which foster growth of urban slums in cities such as Dhaka.

The living conditions of the urban slum dwellers are very hazardous. As mentioned before, Weir houses themselves are extremely flimsy and precarious. Nearly 75% of the houses are jhupris or kutcha structures while a mere 5.5% live in pucca brick buildings and 20% in semi pucca ones. The space in these houses is extremely cramped, nearly 81% of these houses have only

The slum dwellers are victims of extremely poor environmental and health conditions with concomitant problems of inadequate potable drinking water supplies, while very poor sanitation facilities leave them susceptible to health hazards from exposed excreta and waste. Slums and squatter settlements are usually developed on land, which in most cases, are topographically unsuitable for housing. The city's low lying areas, such as on the sides of ditches, lakes, rivers, sewage canals, railway tracks and embankments are the usual sites inhabited by the slum dwellers. Such areas are likely to be adversely affected by monsoon and flooding. In 1988 when the entire country experienced the most severe flood in recent history about 67,5% or two thirds of Dhaka's slum areas were completely inundated.

After emergence of Bangladesh as an independent country in 1971 most urban areas including Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi cities were confronted with the problems of a sudden and large influx of people coming from all over the country for livelihood. To assess the socio-economic condition of this group the first Census of Slums in Bangladesh was conducted in Dhaka Statistical Metropolitan Area (SMA) in August, 1985. For operational convenience a Slum Area Census was conducted in Chittagong SMA and Khulna SMA between January 13 and February 20, 1986. Basic characteristics of slums and the slum dwellers were collected in these census operations. Later on, detailed socio-economic characteristics of the slum dwellers were collected by conducting a socio-economic & demographic survey of slum dwellers in Dhaka SMA during October - November, 1987.A slum is a cluster of compact settlements of 5 or more households which generally grow very unsystematically and haphazardly in an unhealthy condition and atmosphere on government and private vacant land. Slums also exist in the owner based household premises.

A slum has the following characteristics:

• Predominantly very poor housing structure e.g. jhupri, tong, chhai, tin shed, semi-pucca flimsy structure, dilapidated building in bad condition etc.

• very high housing density ;

• generally slum settlements grow on govt./semi govt. vacant land and public owned places, abandoned buildings/places or by the side of the road ;

• slum housing materials are very cheap and of low quality such as old gunny bags, polythene, straw etc. and have lower height in comparison with other normal structure;

• having poor sewerage and drainage or even it has no such facilities;

• inadequate, unhealthy drinking water supply;

• prevailing unhealthy atmosphere ;

• insufficient or absence of street lighting ;

• little or no paved streets ; and

• slum settlements are inhabited by poor, uneducated and below poverty level people.

In exceptional cases jhupri houses are built within premises of owner based houses and are rented out. These were also considered as slums.

Floating population
Floating population are the mobile and vagrant category of rootless people who have no permanent dwelling units whatever worse these are and they are found on the census night during 00:00 - 05.00 hours of 25th March, 1997 in the rail station, launch ghat, bus station, hat-bazaar, mazar, stair case of public/government buildings, open space etc”.

Rootless People
Vagrant, displaced, landless or people exposed to the risk of total economic deprivation are considered as the rootless people. “Rootless people” are defined as satisfying any of the following scenarios:

• Landless population who have lost even the homestead areas of their parents and/or of themselves;
   

• landless population who have lost their land and homestead areas because of political, economic or social  reasons; and
   

• abandoned women, population affected by river and the population driven out of their own homestead areas.

With the passage of time, influx of population from the rural areas to these SMAs and other Paurashavas has multiplied. A large proportion of them started building unauthorized shanty houses in abandoned land, khas or government land, along the shoulders of the highways, within the rail stations, along the rail-road tracks, industrial belt etc. In order to develop a program to deal with this influx, it was necessary to determine the actual location of the slums and slum dwellers and to monitor its growth.
 

Government has undertaken several credit programs to encourage urban slum dwellers to return to their own villages (return home) and to start income generating activities. One of such projects that has been introduced by Bangladesh Krishi (Agricultural) Bank, from May, 1999. This program offers loan to those slum dwellers who wish to return to their home village and start a new business or project there. Initially this program is focused on slum dwellers of Dhaka city, later this project will incorporate other major cities of the country. A study performed by Bangladesh Krishi Bank showed that 94 percent of the slum dwellers of Dhaka City are willing to return home if they can get a work there. This credit program offers collateral free loans up to Tk.50,000 (US $1000) for each family.

Poverty in slums is characterized by low standard of living in unhygienic condition, colossal unemployment, low literacy rate, low savings and acute shortage of credit facilities. The main objective of SIP components is to improve the overall living condition of urban poor through adoption of integrated approach which recognizes physical and human development through provision of basic services, literacy training and micro credit for Income Generating Activities (GAs).

Slum Improvement Project Components of Urban Infrastructure Development Projects of LGED and Community Participation:
From the experience, it appears that implementation of SIP components contributed towards reduction of poverty amongst the urban poor living in the squatter settlements. In addition to directly improving the general living conditions of the urban poor through sustained physical infrastructure inputs, SIP contributed towards improving economic status with a strong focus on skill and livelihood development. SIP contributed empowerment of women through their direct involvement in project implementation and raising their income through credit interventions.

community participation in its Slum Improvement Project involves the slum dwellers directly in infrastructure construction to provide employment and income opportunities, improve the quality of work through their direct involvement, involve poor slum women in income generating activities for their livelihood, improve the living condition/life style of the poor in the slums and create a sense of ownership and participation for their own development.

The beneficiaries participation in slum improvement takes place at three levels- Working Group, Slum Improvement Committee (SIC) and Slum Improvement Coordination Committee (SICC). The functions of the working group which involves only women are to participate in the implementation of infrastructure development activities directly in income generating activities/self employment opportunities. Slum Improvement Committee (SIC) is responsible for execution of project activities at the slum level, making expenditure and adjustment of fund at the slum level, providing assistance in planning and implementation of activities for the slum poor, supervising group activities and saving activities, physical development programmes and implementation of various components. Slum Improvement Coordination Committee (SICC) prepares annual budget for slum improvement activities, prepares and approves plans and estimates for physical programmes, provides assistance in resource mobilization, supervises the activities of SICs including overall activities and maintains linkage between Project Coordination Committee (PCC) and SICs.

The occurrence of slum appears to be at least, at present, an unavoidable part of urbanization in Bangladesh. Slum
dwellers are very poor, but they are regarded as a potential human resource for development of the city. Based on the
experience of involving the slum dwellers in SIP, it appears as an effective approach for alleviation of urban poverty
through creation of employment opportunities for them and their direct involvement contributed towards sustainability
of infrastructures constructed/ developed under SIP and the effects/impacts of SIP activities

http://www.bbsgov.org/slum97/backgrou.htm
Unlocking the Potential, National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction (PRSP)
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Bangladesh environment facing the  21ts century, SEHD
Source: Bangladesh National Report:
Progress of implementation of the Habitat Agenda (1996-2001)