Living Conditions in Dhaka

Dhaka is the fastest growing mega-city in the world. It is centrally located in Bangladesh and is the most accessible city of the country. With a population of about 7 million it continues to still grow rapidly and stay predominantly rural. However the population pressure on the primate city remains very high and is likely to continue to increase. Annually, the city draws an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 poor migrants who provide critical employment for the city’s industries and services. However the problem arises at how to house these thousands of new workers. Urgent measures are required to address the vital needs of the rapidly growing urban poor.

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, was projected in 2010 as having a population of 17.6 million people, with up to 60% of those living in the slums.  During an annual global survey of livability that assesses living conditions in 140 cities, Dhaka was ranked the second worst city in the world.  The survey also found people scoring below average marks in stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.  Of the 100 subjects surveyed, most were married.  There were 81% who did not have any schooling and the average age was 35. They had 4.6 children per family and 31 other dependents, usually in-laws and siblings, living with them. Of the 96 subjects surveyed, 84 lived with their spouse, 3 husbands lived closer to their work, and 7 women reported their husbands to be polygamous, living with a second family. 

There were 45% that had been living in current slums for less than 2 years. The slum land where 60% of the population resides, is owned by a landowner and rent was collected for permission to build a bamboo shelter to use as a home.  These landowners did not pay government taxes and are not accountable for the conditions or safety of the slums.  In addition, families were charged for toilet usage, drinking and bathing water, electricity and gas.

Dhaka is the focus of most of Bangladesh’s political administration, economic and social attention. However, the city also concentrates private investments; public spending and investment in health and education facilities, and public policy decisions traditionally are skewed in favor of Dhaka since the independence of Bangladesh. The focus of investment and decision-making power in Dhaka fuels ever higher rate of migration to the City. Formal sector, private developers generally serve only the upper and middle income groups  making industrially developed units unaffordable not only to the poor, but to the vast majority of the population. Major NGOs like CARE supported some slum improvement programs but none thus far have had any housing component. All together they have made little to none impact on the improvement of slums in Dhaka, due to the massive scale of the problem. Usually the high prices and congestion in Dhaka would make other cities a more attractive investment and hence open up new job locations. But, Dhaka’s primacy is still on the rise, both in terms of population and power.

Currently, the city’s mostly poor residents live in basic housing where the rents are high, living space is cramped, and given the temporary nature of most housing, amenities are low.  As migration to the city continues to increase the conditions that are already bad appear to be getting worse. Rents continue to rise along with Dhaka’s rapid growth rate, the cities size, and bad environmental conditions. Over the next decade the number of slum dwellers is projected to grow to 8 million. With this growth, policy makers need to address land and housing as a top priority. However, problems of authority worsen the already complex land and housing issues in Dhaka.

Sources 

www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com

www.worldbank.org.bd

www.dhakacity.com.b

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