Displacement and deplorable living conditions of slum dwellers: with special reference to Sylhet city

Abstract

Environmental displacement has already become extreme in geographically and environmentally vulnerable areas in Bangladesh. Thus, climate induced migration to big cities is getting spontaneous over the last few decades. Increasing numbers of slums represent a major challenge to development. Displaced people living in urban slums are in search of better and secure life. But urban slums located mostly in low lying environmentally hazardous area coupled with inadequate facilities like food, shelter, sanitation, high rates of malnutrition, density of population, communicable diseases, exposure to violence, health care make their life even worse. In other words it refers to informal areas suffering from problems of accessibility, narrow streets, the absence of vacant land and open spaces, very high residential densities, insufficient infrastructure and services. The study is fully based on primary data that followed stratified sampling method with triangulation research design and reviewing some related literatures from past research reports. This paper examines that exploration of living conditions of slum dwellers, it is seen that the sketch of their social life is very different, deplorable, unorganized, poor health status, using different kinds of family planning methods, lack of proper water supply and sanitation, low income group with inadequate education, leading unhealthy environment, to enhanced poverty, under nutrition of Bangladeshi's inhabitants those are engaged in various sectors of economical activities. Their present scenario of social life is very pathetic and miserable because of having been deprived from education, employment and other basic facilities of human life and as a result they are being regarded as a reluctant Dwellers. They are far from touch of modernization, fully separated and alienated from the mainstream of society.