Friday, 6 December 2013 00:00
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AS Colombo continues to spruce itself up as a mega city, there is increased concern for the vulnerable groups ripping its seams. The Government in an attempt to stitch these bursting seams has proposed construction of houses for 60,000 families, but the means to this end still causes much concern.
An estimated 828 million people live in slum conditions, representing around one third of the world’s urban population. The vast majority of slums – more than 90% – are located in cities of developing countries.
Slum dwellers often experience difficult social and economic conditions that manifest different forms of deprivation – material, physical, social and political. They live in overcrowded, poorly constructed housing, often with insecure land possession. Reduced access to safe food and water, poor sanitation, a breakdown of traditional family structures, high crime and high unemployment rates affect slum dwellers’ health.
Slums are home to a wide array of infectious diseases (including tuberculosis, hepatitis, dengue fever, pneumonia, cholera and malaria), which spread easily in highly concentrated populations. Despite the tremendous need, healthcare services are generally difficult to access in these areas.
Cities without adequate planning or proper governance will find it increasingly difficult to provide affordable land, decent housing, adequate transportation and public services. As a consequence their political legitimacy will sooner or later begin to erode. Non-Governmental Organisations or the private sector may attempt to fulfil roles previously held by local authorities and fragmentation will ensue. In this scenario, slum dwellers and the urban poor will continue to be overlooked and disparities within cities will continue to grow.
In capital Colombo, there is already evidence of this. With multiple efforts, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) under the Defence Ministry is busy fast-tracking measures for a clean city but this does not always cover equitable development. Scores of poor families have been moved out, at times forcibly, from places they have occupied for many decades to make way for glittering hotels and apartment blocks. From the families at Slave Island to the laundry community down Nawam Mawatha, there are questions over the procedures followed and whether they benefit the poorest of the poor.
UDA records indicate that as many as 54% of Colombo’s residents can be categorised as poor. This means they are usually disempowered from participating in the decision-making process, which is anyway highly opaque and politicised. Innumerable instances of political cronies being given shops and homes meant for poor beneficiaries have been reported, with little being done about it. Moreover, with almost no accountability mechanism where deprived families can complain and obtain redress, hope for equitable development is at best diluted.
Land cleared by the economically weak will be handed over to companies that are not necessarily expected to do their best by the poor. Those moved out to Slave Island pointed out that the rent money given to them is inadequate, resulting in them having to find lodgings on the outskirts of the city. This would mean problems for school children and livelihoods. Inadequate compensation is also a universal complaint.
Ambitious plans need to be counterbalanced by transparency and justice. Without these twin ideals, development will not only spur inequality, it will be transient.
