Improving the work and living environment of urban poor : focus on the delivery of basic urban services at community level of Dhaka City, Bangladesh | |
| Author | Islam, Muhammed Sayeedul |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.HS-98-09 |
| Subject(s) | Urban poor--Bangladesh--Dhaka Urban policy--Bangladesh--Dhaka |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Rapid population growth in urban areas of Bangladesh, particularly in the capital city of Dhaka, caused by heavy influx of migrants from the vast rural areas, has led to severe pressure on the existing utilities and services. The slower rate of expansion of the basic infrastructure and services could not cope with this huge and rapid growth. This situation coupled with the destitute condition of the poor in-migrants has led to the mushrooming of slums and squatters, in one hand, and has fueled the growth of the informal sector into a vast size on the other. Residing and working at the same places, they form a unified work and living community. But because of non-availability of basic services they get doubly affected because of poor living as well as working environment. Against this backdrop, a poor community in the no1ih-western part of Dhaka city was studied. Systematic exploration was done of the existing working and living condition particularly focussing on the availability of and accessibility to urban basic services on the part dwellers and workers. Opinions were taken on dwellers' and workers' perception on the service improvement. Their affordability and willingness to pay for possible improved services were measured. The constraints and limitations of the service delivery institutions were also explored systematically. Finally, a proposal was formulated for the improvement of the work site and living environment considering the affordability and willingness to pay by the dwellers and workers. The results indicate that poor environmental condition prevails in the settlements and working sites of the poor people due to the extreme inadequacy of basic urban services. This inadequacy compels the poor to receive deficient services at a higher cost; sometimes through middlemen, sometimes through informal channels. A systematic analysis shows that the poor are able and willing to pay for improved and legally obtained services. And they are also enthusiastic about participating in the service improvement project by contributing self-labour. A comparison between two target groups of the study - settlements and enterprises on different aspects of servi.ce delivery shows that the services are more affordable to the enterprises than to the households. This inference is related both in terms of their existing expenditure for the services and willingness to pay for improved service provision. The analysis of the roles of service delivery institutions show that most of the institutions have lower capability and lack commitment to deliver basic services to the poor people of Dhaka city. Finally, the proposal for service improvement shows that the cost would likely be affordable by the dwellers as well as by the enterprises and the full cost for improvement would eventually be recoverable from the beneficiaries without much external help. |
| Year | 1998 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Human Settlement (HS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Amin, A.T.M. Nurul; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Zimmermann. W. ;Morishita. H.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Royal Netherlands Government; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1998 |