Local environment al management for improving quality of life: a comparative analysis of service delivery to two Urban poor communities in Chittagong city, Bangladesh | |
| Author | Begum, Lutfun Nahar |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.UE-99-01 |
| Subject(s) | Urban poor--Bangladesh--Chittagong Urban ecology--Bangladesh--Chittagong |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Chittagong, the second largest city of Bangladesh, has been facing an overwhelming problem of population growth and experiencing a tremendous surge in urbanization. Growing population, coupled with meagre resources, increasingly stresses the urban utilities and services making the urban environment worse. Many studies have concluded that the urban poor's acute deprivations in terms of access to basic needs and services, at least in part, is due to the long-prevailing centralized institutional approach to service delivery that hardly allows reaching the poor. Consequently, during the past decade, there has been a growing realization that local level actions and management are essential to improve the quality of life of the urban poor living in low-income settl ements. Indeed this realization has brought in existence programs and projects like that of the Urban Basic Service Delivery Proj ect (UBSDP) in Bangladesh. Since this project has also taken up some settlements in the Chittagong city and this intervention denotes an alternative institutional approach, this study .allowed undertaking a comparison in service delivery through these two alternative institutional arrangements. Against this backdrop, an underserved community (slum and squatter settlements where lowincome people live) in the middle of the city (West Maderbari Railway Slum) which essentially relies upon the city autority's service supply mechanisims and another' settlement (i.e. Rafique'er bastee, K.anchan'er bastee, Member'er bastee, Rabeya bastee and Vandari bastee etc.) in which UBSDP approach is under implementation since 1997 have been selected for the study purpose. This comparative approach of the study enabled to focus on the existing institutional set up for urban service delivery and to identify constraints involved for improving the quality of life and living environment of the poor. Apart from making use of a wealth of published and unpublished research, the study conducted structured questionnaire, informal discussion and observations for compiling information and collecting data. The findings of the study indicate that an overwhelming majority of the dwellers in the West Maderbari slum live in a squalid environmental condition because of an acute shortage of basic services. The findings also suggest that the top down (supply-led) institutional approach is not suitable to expand access of services to the poor. In contrast, a relatively better living and environmental condition is observed in the settlements under UBSD P (which has allowed establ ishing an Urban Development Centre (UDC) - in the poor community that plays a key role in providing bas ic services and extending various social and economic supports). It appears that UDC's presence at a very neighborhood level has allowed adoption of a bottom-up approach of service delivery that has facilitated access of poor to the services. The basic advantage ari ses from a physical presence of municipal service institution right at the door step of the people in need. The study concludes by drawing a number of recommendations for local level institutional development capable for working with other urban basic service delivering agencies including ยท NGOs and CBOs of low-income communities. It recommends a change in the existing organizational approach of the various service - rendering authorities (e.g., water, sanitation, drainage and sewerage) and the city authority (Chittagong City Corporatiqn). Lessons from UBSDP/UDC should be incorporated in the work of these agencies and programs should be a lunched for city - wide implementation of UBSDP mechanisims of service delivery in general iv and UDC in particular. It is expected that any development project/scheme if it aims to serve within the financial reach of the poor, it will be acceptable to them and cost recovery will also be possible. Such a change also bears the potential of expanding services to the poor and altering the culture of expecting public services without paying for them. |
| Year | 2000 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Urban Environmental and Management (UE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Aminm, A.T.M. Nurul ; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Zimmermann, Willi;Sathasivan, Arurnugam ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Norwegian Agency for International Aid; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2000 |