Slum Dwellers - Fatema Begum - People's Voices - People's Health Movement PHM

Slum Dwellers - Fatema Begum

'The slums have grown based on the needs form both end- the rural and urban people. The rural people have been forced into the cities due to economic crisis and natural calamities in rural areas whereas various city based industries, garment factories and the odd household chores of the city dwellers have necessitated the presence of rural people in cities.

Therefore, the slums should be made habitable in one hand and decentralised growth centres should developed on the other to maintain a balance between rural and urban population. Overall law and order situation should be improved, basic necessities of the slums should be provided, awareness among slum dwellers should be created on health, hygiene, citizens right and obligations' - these were the main points that Fatema Begum, a group member of Korail slum, Proshika Gulshan Area Development Centre was trying to hint upon.

Fatema Begum strongly mentioned that slum dwellers are also human beings and they should be treated equally as other people. They are also contributing significantly for the cities and for the country. The poor people of the slums do all the odd jobs in the cities. They work as day labourers for different constructions and day to day needs of the cities. Some people tell about evicting all the slums and sending all the slum dwellers to the village. They blame the slum dwellers for crimes but they do not tell about them who are bringing drugs in the country from outside, who are using these drugs, who are the terrorists under the shelter of big political & business leaders compelling some slum people for doing this. They also don't think that majority of the slum dwellers are not bad. They also do not think that if there is no people like slum dwellers in the cities who will keep the cities clean? Who will work as labourers for the industries, garment factories and construction worker. Without these people the cities would be dirty and would be unsuitable places for people's living. In view of this, as it is not possible to evacuate all the poor people from the cities, living standard of the slum dwellers should be improved, and at the same time migration of more people from the villages should be prevented by creating adequate employment opportunities in the rural area. Fatema strongly suggested that there should be no slum eviction without proper rehabilitation of the slum dwellers.

Slum people are living in an unhygienic condition. There is no proper housing, sanitation, gas & electric supply, internal communication and garbage disposal facilities. As a result, slum dwellers have to lead an inhuman life in the slums. Recently some improvement is taking place due to the activities of NGOs for slums.

Fatema gave an account of her own slum Karail, where 140 tube-wells have been sunk, adequate sanitation facility is arranged and health education is being provided. This has turned the Korail Bustee a habitable slum with provisions of many of the basic necessities of city life. This situation can be replicated in other slums of the city if there is strong will among the policy makers, the Bustee dwellers and the representative to the City Corporation.