Banani

http://www.isuh.org/download/dhaka.pdf

Homelessness and poverty are an international crisis. Bangladesh, with a population of 147.4 million is one of the poorest countries in the world; with an estimated 3.4 million people live in some 5000 slums of its capital city, Dhaka. In 2010, the population of the city of Dhaka has been projected at 17.6 million people, with up to 60% in the slums. Slums, which are heavily populated urban areas characterized by poverty and substandard housing, are not well described in the literature despite their prevalence and the pervasiveness of poverty worldwide. Urban planning to accommodate increasingly large slum areas requires study to determine demographics and determinants of improved quality of life, such as health status, health services, financial stability, education and security.

Dharavi slum

Late in the 17th century, Gerald Aungier tried to attract traders and artisans to Bombay. As a result, the population grew six-fold in the fourteen years between 1661 and 1675. Some of the more prosperous traders built houses inside the British fort. The rest lived in crowded “native-towns” around the walls. These were probably the first slums to grow in Bombay.

The problem of overcrowding certainly remained through the 18th century. A count made in 1794 found 1000 houses inside the fort walls and 6500 immediately outside.

All over the world, the 19th century saw the growth of slums give the lie to the idea of progress brought on by large-scale industrialization and the understanding and control of diseases. Bombay was no exception. The cotton boom, followed by the rapid growth of mills and shipping drew a large population from the rest of the country into a city ill-equipped to deal with them. In the middle of the 19th century slums grew around the mills and other places of employment. Historically, slums have grown in Bombay as a response to a growth of population far beyond the capacity of existing housing. Migrants are normally drawn to the city by the huge disparity between urban and rural income levels. Usually the residents of these densely populated enclaves live close to their place of work. The residential area itself does not provide employment.

 My friend Shashi has sent this information from Bihar, India.  He did not mention the real source of these details.

Phnom Penh Child

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kWKqQEHEdf0/SYnmJQkFp-I/AAAAAAAAVII/w0xsS1kW9zs/s400/1592.jpg

This is an opinion from my friend (Pol Sreymom), who is from Cambodia, and she shared conditions of slums in her country. What she thinks about is that, mostly poor people who live in slums do not have enough facilities in their shelter. In her opinion, she said that cities have more slums in Cambodia specially, in phnom penh. In early, they lived in countryside; however, the reason that they moved to cities is hunger.  Therefore, they decided to sell their land in villages and then they searched jobs in cities, so that they can survive their family. Unfortunately, when they go to live in urban areas there are no many jobs available to do and which led them to become beggars, pick garbage in streets, road cleaners and some young girls addicted to drugs and involved in prostitution   Most of them  do not have enough education to determine their life.

I asked her that do you think that Cambodia government has taken any solution to reduce these problems?

She answered that “I do not see any improvement, but yes, the government is trying to do something for them. They encourage the slum children to study and give jobs to adults like construction works, and Garment works. Moreover, some NGO, s from Japan, the USA, and Australia are working for them to bring a better environment”.

   In my view, I think that, this is a good idea that government is trying to help them through provide jobs and make the slum children educated. In south Asia also, if governments ready to help for slum dwellers, they will get other non government organizations help to work with them and reduce the difficulties of people in slums.

Delhi charity campaign

When I looked at them, I looked down at their feet and found that most of them don’t have even slippers to protect their legs. This is what is at first when we look at anyone, which is their outer appearance. From this I can guess, how miserable will be their living conditions. I can see a glimpse shining in their eyes for something new. I think queuing up is something new for them and that they are on their first steps towards the vast world of knowledge. This picture captured in Delhi when there was a charity campaign organized for those students. One of my friends who is studying in Bihar, sent this picture for me.

characteristics of slums

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slum

The characteristics associated with slums vary from place to place. Slums are usually characterized by urban decay, high rates of poverty, and unemployment. They are commonly seen as “breeding grounds” for social problems such as crime, drug addiction, alcoholism, high incidence of mental illness, and suicide. In many poor countries they exhibit high incidence of disease due to unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, and lack of basic health care. A UN Expert Group has created an operational definition of a slum as an area that combines to various extents the following characteristics: inadequate access to safe water; inadequate access to sanitation and other infrastructure; poor structural quality of housing; overcrowding; and insecure residential status. To these one might add the low socioeconomic status of its residents.

HOW???

In the slums, people’s ability to modify the living conditions in minimal, because they do not have the resources to do so. A few pieces of tin, scrap lumber, card board make a house. Clothing and food are scavenged from the refuse of others with more. There is no coasting for the slum dwellers. Everything is now, today and each day is a new struggle for survival. The gains made yesterday were maybe enough, but they were consumed yesterday. Nothing carries over, except the needs.

Slumdog millionaire film scene

The story of Jamai  Malik an 18 year old- orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life with the whole nation watch. He is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupee on India’s “ who wants to be a millionaire” but when the show breaks for the night police arrest him on suspicion of cheating how could a street kid know so much. Desperate to prove his innocence Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road of vicious encounters with local gangs.

This story entrenched in everyone’s mind. Slums children education is in the home, but more often in the mud paths that pass for streets in the slum. Childhood is shortened. Children have to do something useful for the family’s survival. In this film Jamal answered the all question through his experience in slums. Though, he did not have the facilities to study, his slum experiences taught a lot in his life and made worthy.

Wadala slums - Mumbai

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wadala_slums_-_Mumbai.jpg

This place describes as City of Dreams, Mumbai in India. People flock from all over and pour into houses like these along the roads. These kids were playing and roaming around the area. They never think about their studies and health. Life of these children is being in a dismal world.

Map

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Principaux_Bidonvilles.png

Map representing the location of the 30 biggest “mega-slums” in the World. The circles’ size and color indicate the number of inhabitants in millions,  Note that some cities have several “mega-slums” while other cities may have more inhabitants living in slums, but scattered in many small slums rather than in a few “mega-slums”, particularly in South Asia. This map therefore does  not show all cities with slums, rather only those with well-known large slums.

Jakarta(Indonesia)

 http://jakarta.travel/wiki/images/3/3c/

Slums are wounded by flooding in some places, where it is a solemn threaten to the slum dwellers.Slums in Cities are more in danger by this flooding.This valnerable situation causes the people to displaced.Anyhow slum dwellers are facing the problems constantly.Could you think about their plight in life???