Life in the slum of Dhaka

by Luca Catalano Gonzaga
Part of Invisible people
View project

According to a research carried out by the United Nations, in the next decades 95% of world demographic growth will happen in developing countries. Presently, one billion inhabitants of the biggest cities in developing Countries live in slums, and every year this number increases by additional 27 million. The worst situation is registered in Asia, particularly in Bangladesh. Dhaka has 12 million inhabitants, of which 3 million live in slums, huge areas made of hovels with mat walls and tin-plated roofs that are rebuilt after every rainy season. Slums’ inhabitants have to deal everyday with the lack of basic infrastructures such as drinking water, drains and sanitation facilities, and are affected by pollution and constant migration. Within 10 years, Dhaka will reach 20 million inhabitants and will be, together with Mumbai, Tokyo, New York, Mexico City and Seoul, one of the 6 biggest cities in the world. (text by Luca Catalano Gonzaga).

  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Mother and son at the Girani Khal Manda slum. Three millions of people live in huge slums: shanty towns, made of iron sheets and discarded plastic, without any electricity, gas or water.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A train heading to the Tongi station, passes by the Kawran Bazar slum. Water and air pollution from poor waste and traffic management poses serious health risks.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kawran Bazar slum, along the railway track that crosses Dhaka suburbs. Fires in Dhaka, particularly in slums, are common. Due to the typical flammable building materials used in slums (wood, bamboo), fires ignite and spread easily, especially during the hot and dry season.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kawran Bazar slum, along the railway track that crosses Dhaka suburbs. Fires in Dhaka, particularly in slums, are common. Due to the typical flammable building materials used in slums (wood, bamboo), fires ignite and spread easily, especially during the hot and dry season.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. View of Kawran bazar slum where thousands people live alongside the railway lines.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A woman who just woke up at Kawran Bazar slum, along the railway track that crosses Dhaka’s suburbs. People live without running water in an unsanitary environment. The houses are made of plastic bags, bamboo and cardboard paper. Most of the slum dwellers earn their living by pulling rickshaws, while many people lead their lives by cleaning the sewage pipes and manholes of the city.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Morning cleaning at Kawran Bazar slum, along the railway track that crosses Dhaka suburbs. Trains run every 30 minutes, and young children living in the slums on both sides of the railway lines often fall victim to accidents because they are unable to understand the danger.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kawran Bazar slum.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. The Kawran Bazar slum. The extreme poverty in the slums push families to send their children to work and accept low – wage, dangerous jobs as they rely on their children financial income to survive.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Daily life at Kawran Bazar slum, along the railway track that crosses Dhaka suburbs.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Karwan Bazar slum. Only 18 percent of children go to informal schools. According to a UNICEF poll (2012), 9.5 percent of the children living in slums die before turning five years old.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A child plays on the railway track at Kawran Bazar.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kawran Bazar slum. Dhaka city has more than 5,000 slums inhabited by an estimated four million people. The slums lack basic infrastructures and services and its inhabitants live in a constant threat of eviction from their home.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kawran Bazar slum. For children living in these areas, life is difficult and often dangerous, as high rates of malnourishment, school dropout, child marriage, child labor and abuse are recorded.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A family in their home in the Kawran Bazar slum, along the railway track that crosses Dhaka suburbs.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A woman sleeping in an abandoned wagon at the Kamalapur railway station.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kamalapur railway station. Many marginalized people find shelter here, in discarded railway compartments, for the night.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kamalapur railway station. Many marginalized people find shelter here, in discarded railway compartments, for the night.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Sex worker doing her makeup in Daulatdia brothel, on the Padma, in Goalundo.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of sex worker in Daulatdia brothel on the Padma, in Goalundo.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of sex worker in Daulatdia brothel on the Padma, in Goalundo.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Along the Buriganga River. Currently, the river water is terribly toxic; the Bangladesh government estimates that about 21,000 cubic meters of untreated industrial sewage is released into its waters every day. According to Human Rights Watch, residents in neighboring slums regularly suffer from fevers, skin diseases, respiratory problems and diarrhea.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Bathing along the Buriganga River, in the first lights of dawn. The river waters have become one of the most polluted waters in the world due to chemical waste and the lack of toilets.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kids at play along the Buriganga River.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Overview of the Buriganga River. The water quality is deteriorating rapidly due to pollution from industrial sources and the situation turns particularly alarming during the dry season.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Char Kaliganj, home to one of the largest shipyards in Asia.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kaliganj shipyard. Workers climb river vessels, on crumbly ladders or by strolling along the high edges of decks, the only thing keeping them from falling is their own balance. Injuries occur often on the site, but the buzz of activity doesn’t stop.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kaliganj Shipyard employ around 15,000 workers at around $5 a day; they smash down massive shipping vessels and then built new ships from the saved parts.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kaliganj shipyard. Around 26 shipyards operate on the banks of the Buriganga River, where 40 to 50 ships are built and over 500 ships repaired every year.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. The Kaliganj shipyard.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. In the Kaliganj shipyard, workers use welding equipment to tear huge pieces of metal from the ships.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. In the Kaliganj shipyard, workers use welding equipment to repair and construct river vessels.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. In the Kaliganj shipyard, workers use gas torches to tear huge pieces of metal from the ships, and welding machines to repair and construct river vessels.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. In the Kaliganj shipyard, workers use welding equipment to repair and construct river vessels.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kaliganj shipyard. In this nation with 168 million people, most of the low-lying land is accessed by boat. Rivers are Bangladesh’s lifeblood, and the strong economic growth of the recent years has fueled more investments in new and bigger ships.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A worker at Kaliganj shipyard, use a hammer to repair and construct river vessels.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of worker at the Kaliganj shipyard.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of worker at the Kaliganj shipyard.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of worker at the Kaliganj shipyard.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of worker at the Kaliganj shipyard.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. View of the Girani Khal Manda slum. Slum inhabitants have to deal everyday with lack of basic infrastructures such as drinking water, drains and sanitation facilities, and are affected by pollution and constant migration.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Two women take care of an elderly man in the slum of Girani Khal Manda.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. An orphanage inside the Girani Khal Manda slum.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kawran Bazar slum. Children living in urban slums often have poor access to school.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. At dawn, a family sleeps in the Kawran Bazar slum. Some 12,000 people dwell in 3,000 shanties at Karwan Bazar slum, which was set up on both sides of the rail line.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Leaving maadraasaa, a religious school in the slum of Girani Khal Manda.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A textile factory near the Girani Khal Manda slum. One third of children living in the slums, spend more than 60 hours a week working illegally, and many of them are employed by clothes manufacturing industry.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A textile factory near the Girani Khal Manda slum. One third of children living in the slums, spend more than 60 hours a week working illegally, and many of them are employed by clothes manufacturing industry.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A textile factory near the Girani Khal Manda slum. One third of children living in the slums, spend more than 60 hours a week working illegally, and many of them are employed by clothes manufacturing industry.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Passing time at the Girani Khal Manda slum.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Mother and son at home in the Girani Khal Manda slum.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Girani Khal Manda slum. Currently, Manda is estimated to have 100,000 residents, many of them living in small shacks with bamboo frames and corrugated steel roofs.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Kids at play at the Girani Khal Manda slum.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A young man, recycles plastic to earn few takas in the Girani Khal Manda slum.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Girani Khal Manda slum. Dhaka has 12 million inhabitants, thereof3 million live in slums, huge areas made of hovels with mat walls and tin-plated roofs that are rebuilt after every rainy season.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A girl sews near the slum of Girani Khal Manda.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. A moment of prayer. Bangladesh is the third-largest Muslim-majority nation in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Mother and son in their home in the slum of Girani Khal Manda.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Playing outdoors, in the streets of Pallabi slum, Mirpur.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of children in the slum of Karwan Bazar.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Child portrait in Kawran Bazar slum. More than half of the slum population are children. They face challenges on a daily basis that include hunger, poor access to clean water, insufficient electricity, health-care, education and protection.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of children in the slum of Karwan Bazar.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of children in the slum of Karwan Bazar.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of an inhabitant of the slum of Girani Khal Manda.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009. Portrait of children in the slum of Karwan Bazar.

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