What About Bangladesh?
Slum distribution in Bangladesh as of 1997
Most slums of Bangladesh are located in the six major cities: Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Barisal. There are about 3000 identified slums in Bangladesh. Of the 15.5 million urban inhabitants in Bangladesh, 5.4 million or about 35% live in slums. Population density in slums is extremely high at about 200,000 people per square kilometer. This allows disease to spread rapidly and also leads to excessive pollution.
The number of slum dwellers doubled in Dhaka from 1996 to 2005 which suggests that a great rise in the number of slums will occur in the following years. With the GDP already at a low $1700, more slums could lead to more unemployment and sweatshop workers in the community that could further hurt the economy.
These slums have very poorly constructed shacks, poor or no sewage systems, dirty drinking water, little pavement or lighting, and are very dense. Iron roofs often rust and have holes in them. Most homes do have electricity although about 90% of them acquire it illegally as they cannot afford regular services. The majority of urban slum dwellers in Bangladesh are farmers or laborers that came to the city seeking new opportunity and found none.
The majority of children in slums receive no proper education which may explain the country’s literacy rate of 61% for males and 52% for females. This may also be a key factor in the scarcity of professional jobs in Bangladesh.
For Bangladesh to move up in the world as a global power, their first step must be eliminating these economically crippling slums that hold the country back from its full potential.
The number of slum dwellers doubled in Dhaka from 1996 to 2005 which suggests that a great rise in the number of slums will occur in the following years. With the GDP already at a low $1700, more slums could lead to more unemployment and sweatshop workers in the community that could further hurt the economy.
These slums have very poorly constructed shacks, poor or no sewage systems, dirty drinking water, little pavement or lighting, and are very dense. Iron roofs often rust and have holes in them. Most homes do have electricity although about 90% of them acquire it illegally as they cannot afford regular services. The majority of urban slum dwellers in Bangladesh are farmers or laborers that came to the city seeking new opportunity and found none.
The majority of children in slums receive no proper education which may explain the country’s literacy rate of 61% for males and 52% for females. This may also be a key factor in the scarcity of professional jobs in Bangladesh.
For Bangladesh to move up in the world as a global power, their first step must be eliminating these economically crippling slums that hold the country back from its full potential.