Socio-Economic Problems of Slums in Pakistan: An Appraisal

Abstract

The study has carried out a comprehensive examination of the socio-economic problems in the slums and squatter settlements in Islamabad, Pakistan. It has studied the relationship of the problems faced by slums dwellers and how they translate into cities-wide challenges. The study has observed that in case of Islamabad, the problems in slums manifest in the form of poverty, lack of basic freedoms to make choices in life, lack of economic opportunities, health and hygiene challenges, education deprivations, lack of ownership of assets and housing issues etc. This study has further revealed that these challenges translate into wider challenges for the community such as increase in crimes and negative externalities with Islamabad in perspective.

This study has found sufficient answers to the research questions it aimed to find answers for. Slums in Islamabad have come into existence owing largely due to poor planning practices rooted in the post-colonial ideals of development, conflicts, uncontrolled migration and unplanned urbanization. Political economy of development also has a role to play on this. The slums dwellers face plethora of challenges which contribute to their social marginality. Collectively these problems impact the wider social challenges such as criminality and negative externalities for the city. Addressing the deprivations of slum dwellers can help address the community-wide problems these issues manifest in.

The findings of this study have implications for planning and development practices in the metropolitan cities, as these practices are required for adequate provisioning of low-income housing. The study has identified a set of context-specific recommendations to improve the situation of urban slums for Islamabad, which can be extended to other urban areas in the country. These include initiation of low-income housing programs, relocation projects for shifting slum dwellers to urban shelters, reforms in planning practices, financial inclusion through access to micro-credit without collateral, studies to the gauge slums-specific challenges for targeted interventions and political and fiscal decentralization.