Bogotá’s location is in many ways privileged, with mild temperatures and 12 hours of daylight year-round. This location, however, also entails risks: it is a seismic area, and torrential rains can result in serious flooding. The “Niña” weather pattern creates especially dangerous conditions, like the 2010-2011 period when much of the city was left under water – especially, although not only – in the poorer neighborhoods. Read more.
La ubicación geográfica de Bogotá es en muchos aspectos privilegiada. El clima es suave, con temperaturas medias agradables que hacen innecesario el uso de la calefacción o el aire acondicionado. Sin embargo, también encierra amenazas: es una zona sísmica, y las lluvias pueden ser torrenciales, generando inundaciones. Durante el fenómeno de “La Niña” la pluviosidad se dispara, y en el periodo 2010-2011 se desbordó el río Bogotá dejando grandes zonas de la ciudad bajo el agua. Leer más.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Tue, 03/25/2014 – 00:00
Medellin has undergone a profound transformation. While two decades ago it was a city known for violence, lack of social services and inequality, now it has become a model for all Latin American cities on how to tackle these problems. Urbanism, although not the only factor, has played a crucial role in this process. In Medellin, urban reforms became closely associated with the search for solutions for social problems. They also had a strong pedagogical ambition. Read more.
Medellín ha experimentado una profunda transformación: en a penas dos décadas ha pasado de ser una ciudad castigada por la violencia, la escasez de servicios sociales y la desigualdad, a convertirse en un modelo para toda América Latina de cómo combatir éstos graves problemas. Leer más.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Sat, 03/01/2014 – 10:22
El agua de Bogotá es potable y deliciosa, algo excepcional en las grandes ciudades de América latina. Esto se debe a su proximidad a abundantes fuentes de agua, especialmente los páramos de Chingaza y Sumapaz, y a una buena gestión del recurso. La mayor parte del agua consumida actualmente proviene de la represa de Chingaza, ubicada a unos 50 kilómetros de Bogotá. Sin embargo, la misma proximidad de la mega urbe supone un riesgo para los frágiles ecosistemas de los páramos: Sumapaz comienza en el mismo término municipal de la capital. Aunque la capacidad de suministro actual se estima suficiente a medio plazo, a largo plazo será necesario construir nuevas represas y canalizaciones, proyectos técnicamente complejos y que probablemente generarán fuertes controversias por su impacto ambiental. Leer más o discutir.
Tap water in Bogota is safe to drink, something that is unusual in most large Latin American cities. This is due to the proximity of vast water sources, in particular the Chingaza and Sumapaz paramos (a particular ecosystem that exists in the Andean highlands), and to good management of the water supply. Most of the water comes from the Chingaza reservoir, located less than 50km from Bogotá. However, this proximity, although beneficial to the mega-city, implies serious threats to the fragile paramo ecosystems. Sumapaz, for example, starts within Bogotá’s city limits and can be reached by urban buses. Although the current infrastructure brings enough capacity for the medium term, long-term demands will require the building of new dams and pipelines. These projects are technically complex and their environmental impact makes them politically difficult. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 02/10/2014 – 00:00
Hay muchas cosas positivas que esperar para el año 2014 en Colombia. Se prevé que el crecimiento económico siga siendo vigoroso, al tiempo que las conversaciones de paz pueden acabar con un conflicto armado que ha durado ya varias décadas. Estas circunstancias presentan un escenario sin precedente para aliviar los problemas de pobreza y desigualdad que sufre el país. Bogotá y Cali, las dos ciudades que seguimos en este blog, tienen iniciativas en marcha que pueden ofrecer soluciones concretas a estos dos problemas. Sin embargo, la incertidumbre es también elevada, tanto a nivel nacional como local. Por un lado, los resultados de las conversaciones son inciertos. Por otro, las elecciones presidenciales que se celebrarán en su primera vuelta en mayo también resultarán en una ralentización de la administración central. Aunque se espera que Juan Manuel Santos ganes la reelección, cualquier cosa puede suceder en la política colombiana, y un cambio en la presidencia puede decelerar aún más el ritmo de las reformas. Leer más o discutir.
There is much to look forward in 2014 in Colombia. Economic growth is expected to remain strong, and the decades-old armed conflict could be close to its end if the peace conversations now underway are ultimately successful. These circumstances bring an unprecedented opportunity for the country to tackle poverty and rampant inequality. Bogotá and Cali, the two Colombian cities covered on this platform, are working on major initiatives that could have a significant impact on these fronts. However, uncertainty is also quite high, both at the national and local levels. For one, the results of the peace conversations are far from certain. Furthermore, Presidential elections, to be held in mid-year, imply a slowdown of central government activity for most of the year. Although Juan Manuel Santos is expected to win re-election handily, anything can happen in Colombian politics, and a change at the top would also bring the processes of reform to a temporary halt. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 01/06/2014 – 00:00
Colombia no ha escapado del castigo del HIV. Según datos del Sistema de Vigilancia Epidemiológica (SIVIGILA), al que deben ser reportados todos los casos identificados, desde el año 1983 hasta el 2011, último del que se disponen datos completos, se conocen 86.990 casos de HIV/Sida, de los cuales 10.676 han fallecido. En Bogotá se han detectado hasta septiembre del 2013 23.330 casos, un 40 por ciento del total a nivel nacional. Sin embargo, es importante destacar que esto se debe a su elevada población, como lo ilustra que en el 2011 se reportaron 8,7 casos por 100.000 habitantes, mientras 8 departamentos superaban 20 casos por 100.000 habitantes, y los dos en cabeza, Barranquilla y Quindío superaban 30. Leer más o discutir.
Colombia has not escaped the devastating consequences of the AIDS epidemic. According to the Sistema de Vigilancia Epidemiológica (Epidemiology Watch Service, SIVIGILA), there have been 86,990 cases of diagnosed HIV/AIDS from 1983 and 2011, and 10,676 fatalities (reporting HIV/AIDS diagnosis to the SIVIGILA is mandatory). Bogotá registered 23,300 cases from 1983 to September 2013, which is 40 percent of the national total. However, this is due more to the large population of the Colombian capital rather than high rates of infection, as the region recorded only 8.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while eight other departments recorded over 20 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and two of them, Barranquilla and Quindío, reported over 30 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 12/02/2013 – 00:00
Uno de los principales frenos al desarrollo de los asentamientos irregulares es la falta de títulos de propiedad por parte de sus ocupantes. En Colombia, donde los conflictos armados que se prolongan desde hace décadas han sumado un número significativo de desplazados por la violencia a los flujos migratorios observados en toda Latinoamérica, este problema tiene una especial gravedad. Para atajar este problema en el año 2005 se aprobó una ley que permitía la transferencia gratuita de predios fiscales, o de titularidad pública, que hubieran sido ocupados antes de 2001. El alcance de esta ley deja fuera del proyecto de titulación a los asentamientos edificados sobre predios de propiedad privada. Leer más o discutir.
Lack of property titles is one of the most significant barriers to development and poverty reduction in informal settlements. This problem is particularly serious in Colombia, where people displaced by several decades of armed conflict have joined the large number of immigrants for economic reasons in creating the largest number of informal settlements in Latin America. A law enacted in 2005 sought to tackle, at least partially, this problem by allowing for free transfer of property to informal residents. The scope of the law was limited to settlements established on public land before 2001, thus excluding all settlements on private land. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 10/21/2013 – 00:00
La situación de los habitantes de la calle se considera como uno de los problemas más complicados de resolver en las grandes ciudades latinoamericanas. Según un censo elaborado en 2011 por la Secretaría de Integración Social (SIS), en Bogotá se identificaron 8.385 habitantes de calle, un 86.9 por ciento de los cuales son hombres, y el 8.4 por ciento son menores de 18 años. El 17.9 por ciento son jóvenes entre 19 y 25 años, y el 38.9 por ciento son adultos entre 26 y 40 , quedando un 32 por ciento, de adultos mayores. Otro dato interesante de este sondeo es que el 58 por ciento se dedica a la recolección de objetos de reciclaje, el 34 por ciento a mendigar, el 28 por ciento a servicios no cualificados y el 10.7 por ciento a delinquir. Aunque es posible que estas cifras no recojan el número total de habitantes de la calle, quizá en una proporción considerable, sí que son reveladores en su estructura demográfica y en sus ocupaciones. Leer más o discutir.
Homelessness is one of the most complex and difficult to address problems in all large Latin American cities. A census led in 2011 by the Secretaría de Integración Social (SIS), found 8,385 homeless people in Bogotá. Of those, 86 percent were male. 8.4 percent were under 18 years old, 17.9 percent between 19 and 25, 38 percent between 26 and 40, and 32 percent were older than 40. As for their occupation, 58 percent were garbage recyclers, 34 percent begged, and 10.7 percent stole and robbed as a form of living. Although it is almost certain that this survey did not register much of the homeless population, it is still quite revealing regarding the population’s demographics and occupation. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 10/07/2013 – 00:00
Bogotá ha ganado el premio a liderazgo urbano en su categoría de transporte. Los premios, de los cuales este año se celebra su primera edición, son otorgados por el grupo C40 y por Siemens, a través de su fundación Crystal. El premio de liderazgo en transporte busca identificar proyectos o iniciativas que mejoren la situación medioambiental, medidos en términos de fomento de cambio en los modos de transporte y de la reducción de la emisión de gases causantes del efecto invernadero. Leer más o discutir.
Bogotá just won the City Climate Leadership Award for transportation. The award, still on its first edition, is sponsored by the C40 group and Siemens, through its Crystal Initiative. The leadership award in transportation seeks to identify projects or initiatives aimed at improving the environmental quality of the cities for which they are intended. The methodology used to measure such improvement is based on modal shift or the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG). Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 09/30/2013 – 00:00
La concesión de subsidios a las poblaciones más desfavorecidas, sobre todo en el ámbito de los servicios públicos, es un mecanismo ampliamente utilizado en América latina para combatir la fuerte desigualdad social. En Colombia se ha utilizado un mecanismo singular: la división de las ciudades en estratos. Esta idea, que se empezó a considerar en los años 80, se comenzó a aplicar en las grandes ciudades a partir de la aprobación en 1994 de la ley de Servicios Públicos. Aunque el marco legal es estatal, las ciudades tienen un amplio margen a la hora de escoger los criterios concretos para determinar la estratificación dentro de sus perímetros urbanos. Bogotá se dividió en 6 estratos, el máximo permitido por la ley. El estrato 6 refleja un mayor poder adquisitivo, y el 1 el menor poder adquisitivo de la ciudad. Los residentes de los estratos 5 y 6 pagan una sobretasa en los servicios públicos, que se utiliza para subsidiar, de forma decreciente, los costes de los servicios para los residentes en estratos 1 a 3. En el estrato 4 los residentes pagan el precio real de los servicios. También se aplica una sobretasa si se supera un volumen máximo establecido. Leer más o discutir.
Subsidies are one of the most widely used tools in the fight against social inequality in Latin America. Utilities are often subsidized in one way or another. Colombia adopted a unique formula for the distribution of subsidies: the official stratification of housing. Under this system cities are legally divided in different layers or estratos (strata, in a literal translation). This idea originated in the 1980s, and was implemented with the enactment of the 1994 Ley de Servicios Publicos (a law regulating the utilities in Colombia). Under this law cities have considerable say in determining the specific criteria by which stratification is implemented. Bogotá was divided into six different layers, the maximum number allowed by law. Layer 6 represents the wealthiest areas in the city, while layer 1 represents the poorest sectors. Under the system, residents in layers 5 and 6 pay a surcharge in their utilities bill. This surcharge is used directly to subsidize the utilities to residents of layers 1, 2 and 3. Residents in layer 4 areas pay the real cost of the services. There is also a surcharge for heavy users of resources, to be paid once they reach their monthly maximum allowance. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 09/23/2013 – 00:00
Bogota’s historic center is spectacular. Beautiful and surprisingly well-preserved colonial buildings flank the narrow, cobbled streets. At the end of the steep ascent one can see the Cerros Orientales, the imposing mountains that rise abruptly 600 meters above the city. This sight is unusual in a city that, despite being located in the Andean range, tends to focus its attention on the flat savanna where most of its urban sprawl is located. Unfortunately, the historic district has suffered from gradual but steady decay during the last few decades. The main colonial and republican landmark buildings are generally well maintained, but most of the area suffers from problems such as severe lack of economic development, crime, near total lack of green spaces, degradation of low-income homes, and strong social inequality. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 09/09/2013 – 00:00
Cape Town, South Africa
During the Huruma slum-upgrading project, the Italian NGO COOPI collaborated with Pamoja Trust in order to come up with a participatory data collection technique to identify the needs of the community. Chiara Camozzi, an architect who works at COOPI and closely followed the project through its different phases, agreed to talk to urb.im and explain how the data was collected and later used.
Uma das fontes de informação mais importantes para Rio e para os demais municípios brasileiros é o censo liderado pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). O censo é a única pesquisa que visita todos os domicílios brasileiros (cerca de 58 milhões) para conhecer a situação de vida da população, incluindo informação sobre aceso a serviços básicos e condição da moradia. O IBGE lidera o censo a cada 10 anos desde 1940. Este é um trabalho gigantesco, que envolveu cerca de 230 mil pessoas na coleta e processamento de dados.
In Bangalore, the Richmond Fellowship Society has been operating services since 1986, though it is part of the world’s largest global charity network focusing on mental illness. The organization says that over 10 million people in India suffer from schizophrenia, “while the figure for those suffering bipolar affective disorder, depression and anxiety disorders stands at a colossal 150 million.” While the numbers cut across socio-economic status, the poor, especially the homeless, are inordinately affected. Experts estimate that by 2020, mental health disorders will be the second leading cause of disability and death. The World Health Organization (WHO) has created a comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 to increase awareness and services.
Mumbai’s hawkers fill the bustling city streets with their colorful products, foods, and services. Selling everything from fruits and vegetables to hot snacks and fashionable footwear, hawkers provide affordable products in convenient locations, often near train stations, businesses, and market areas. Nearly one-third of the city eats from a street vendor each day, and hawking provides jobs to more than 250,000 of the city’s poorest. Despite this, the municipality has taken a hostile stance on street vending, with widespread demolition of vending stalls and seizing of hawkers’ goods. In a three-part series by Professor Sharit Bhowmik, an expert on street vending and labor issues at the Tata Institute for Social Sciences (TISS), we will be introduced to the city’s street vendors, understand the laws governing street hawking, and explore possible solutions for integrating street hawkers more justly into urban life. Learn more.
Roughly one percent of the urban population in India is believed to be homeless, amounting to an estimated 3 million people sleeping under flyovers, in parks, and on pathways. Although the Supreme Court of India issued a directive in February 2010 for a fundamental right to shelter, the response of the state governments has been nothing short of embarrassing. To address this issue, micro Home Solutions (mHS) brought its interdisciplinary expertise in architecture, community engagement, and program design to homeless shelters in India — designing and building two prototypes of temporary shelters, each with a capacity of up to 80 people, at the embankment of the Yamuna River, opposite the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Delhi. Their aim: to influence local government models on the design and operations of homeless shelters. Learn more.
Despite India’s recent economic growth, improvement in the quality of life has not kept pace for a majority of the country’s inhabitants, and the mushrooming of slums without basic infrastructure is a fact of life. One of the main consequences of India’s split-screen urban economy is its radically inequitable distribution of public services — from energy, drainage and sanitation, and waste management to potable water and paved roads. Despite the willingness of the poor to pay, inefficient delivery of basic civic services is still the norm in most slums. The poor are forced to fend for themselves — even though their makeshift, homegrown solutions are often inefficient, socially unsustainable, and financially burdensome. Learn more.
The housing market in urban India has traditionally focused on the top end, with the lower-income segment virtually unserved. Families struggle, living in rented rooms in slums or low-income neighborhoods that are characterized by poor construction, cramped spaces, deplorable sanitary conditions, and a lack of basic neighborhood amenities. Monitor Inclusive Markets (MIM, a division of the Monitor Group) has spent the last six years working with developers, housing finance companies, governments, and other stakeholders to “make the market” in low-income urban housing. In doing so, MIM has found on-the-ground data that demonstrates that there is a profitable, scalable business with internal rates of return (IRRs) comparable to premium housing. Progressive developers and entrepreneurs have built a quality product profitably while creating social impact. Learn more.
On Mumbai’s shoreline, one of the world’s most toxic jobs goes almost completely unseen in the city. Shipbreakers, tattered laborers who come from the poorest areas of India, dismantle expired vessels by hand — wading through toxins and pulling apart asbestos-laden pieces as they inhale oil, gas, and other hazardous fumes. They work with almost no protective gear on these tons of floating toxicity — nearly all of which are the West’s waste. Though the big business of shipbreaking is banned in most parts of the world, the work continues in South Asian port cities, where cheap labor and lax safety standards leave workers unprotected. Learn more.
Given the ingenuity of Dharavi’s half-million residents and their eagerness to improve their circumstances, the next logical step would be to apply this entrepreneurial spirit to pressing issues in the slums: improving access to healthcare, housing, water and sanitation services. As Howard Husock’s article “Slums of Hope” shows, more and more agencies are awakening to the “resourceful and creative” population living in poverty. Husock quotes journalist Robert Neuwirth, who “extols slums as places where ‘squatters mix more concrete than any developer. They lay more brick than any government. They have created a huge hidden economy…. [They] are the largest builders of housing in the world — and they are creating the cities of tomorrow.’ In keeping with this encouraging trend, the UN even describes the Third World’s informal settlements as slums of hope.” Learn more.
After four months researching malnutrition among young children in the slums of Mumbai, Dasra concluded that child malnutrition in Mumbai’s informal settlements is, at its core, a political and behavioral issue among key stakeholders — specifically, caregivers and public health care providers. The resulting research report focused on children from birth to age three and surveyed 50 organizations working with marginalized communities in Mumbai, including SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action), Mumbai Mobile Creches, and Apnalaya. In part three of a series on child malnutrition in Mumbai, Dasra offers insights into how the public healthcare system can be improved. Learn more.
One of the most effective ways to influence redevelopment plans and the future of urban slums in India is to involve the people. Giving the people a voice and a path to express their concerns in a meaningful, democratic way would effectively bridge the opposing notions of “ground-up” development — by the people, for the people — versus “top-down” development — government-run with little outside input. Yet this is difficult in urban India, where the urban poor are egregiously underrepresented. If the structures do not change, the redevelopment will likely plow forward with little notice of the needs from below. Ramesh Ramanathan, co-founder with his wife, Swati, of the Bangalore-based organization Janaagraha, has written extensively on bringing about greater representation in urban governance: “India today has the smallest number of decision makers to population when it comes to public issues … And as for the average urban resident, forget it. Imagine if this is true for the ’empowered’ urban Indian, what it could be doing to the urban poor. They are twice forsaken: once because of their state, and once by the state.” Learn more.
In the last several decades, India has seen a twenty-fold rise in the number of motor vehicles, and while private vehicle usage rates are increasingly becoming an indicator of newfound wealth and prosperity, this also translates to a significant deterioration in the quality of life of the urban poor. Huge spending on new auto-centric infrastructure, such as expressways and ring roads, encourages more private vehicle ownership and use. This auto-centric development affects public transport subsidies, and, in turn, quality and accessibility. Lower-income groups, who are solely dependent on public transport and spend up to 25 percent of their income on their mobility, are most affected, as this decreases their prospects for income, education, health, and social care, as well as secure living conditions. Learn more.
Mumbai’s oppressive summer heat has residents awaiting the arrival of monsoon season. The rains are celebrated across the country, bringing three months of relief from soaring temperatures as well as much-needed water for farmers and their crops. In urban centers, however, the rains pose a serious threat to lives and livelihoods, especially for the poor. Slums have proliferated wherever space is available, even on disaster-prone hillsides, in floodplains, or alongside bodies of water. These shelters are flimsy in the best of circumstances. When an unexpected deluge comes down, Mumbaikers know the devastating consequences all too well. Learn more.
The Schools of Tomorrow program started in 2009 under the leadership of Rio’s Municipal Secretariat of Education with the aim of reducing drop-out rates in the most violent neighborhoods of the city. It is currently operating in more than 155 schools, with more than 6000 active teachers, and is benefiting more than 105 thousand students. Results have been impressive: between 2008 and 2011, school drop-out rates within Schools of Tomorrow were reduced by 37 percent versus 11 percent in regular public schools. Schools of Tomorrow are also performing better on standardized tests than before; and there are exceptional cases like the School of Tomorrow in Taquara, which has the city’s second highest score and is within Brazil’s top five performing schools.
Individuals, organizations, and governments around the world are developing creative ways to promote and uphold the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In recognition of Human Rights Day on December 10th, this conversation highlights solutions to issues ranging from discrimination against refugees to lack of access to sanitation. These solutions — which include online monitoring systems, a thriller feature film, in-home toilets, and activist photography — raise awareness and provide much-needed services for vulnerable communities. Read on to find out more about these initiatives from Nairobi, Jakarta, Dhaka, and Mumbai, and then share your thoughts in the discussion below.
While Eastleigh, a neighborhood in the east of Nairobi that houses most of the city’s Somali immigrants, has borne the brunt of most of these attacks, residents have also experienced a rise in hostility from local Kenyans and harassment at the hands of the police.
In an attempt to address these three symbiotic challenges, a movie is currently being produced by Cultural Video Foundation (CVF), a Nairobi-based film production company that is run by Cavallo and fellow-filmmaker Alessandra Argenti, with the support of an Italian NGO called the International Committee for the Development of Peoples (CISP) and funding from the European Union.
In Cavallo’s view, in order to prevent future terrorist attacks in Kenya and Somalia, it is essential to find a way for refugee communities and the police to work together on reporting suspicious activities and building trust where at the moment there is none.
Wazi FM was initially conceived as a twelve-episode TV series. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints, this was later cut down to a one-off feature film. CVF remains optimistic that they will succeed in broadening the reach of the show and that at some point it will be picked up by a local television channel brave enough to broadcast such a controversial message, or by an international distributor that is keen on covering sensitive topics of this kind.
The Wahid Institute (WI) berdiri tahun 2004 yang dibentuk sebagai upaya menyebarkan pemikiran islam moderat mantan presiden RI K.H Abdurrahman Wahid dalam mendorong terciptanya demokrasi, multikulturalisme dan toleransi baik di Indonesia maupun di dunia. Beberapa program yang menjadi wilayah kerja WI adalah advokasi kebijakan publik dan minoritas; kampanye islam demokrasi dan pluralisme; pemberdayaan akar rumput; serta monitoring isu keagamaan. Dalam hal monitoring isu keagaan ini WI telah mengembangkan pernangkat lunak untuk memantau isu-isu kekerasan dan konflik atas nama agama bernama Pemantauan Kebebasan Beragama dan Berkeyakinan. Kategori yang terangkum dalam perangkat tersebut termasuk diantaranya intoleransi dan diskriminasi atas dasar agama; kemajuan jaminan perlindungan kebebasan beragama/berkeyakinan serta pelanggaran kebebasan beragama/berkeyakinan. Jadi pada dasarnya perangkat ini bukan hanya melaporkan tindak kekerasan dan pelanggaran dalam beragama namun juga mencatat inisiatif-inisiatif masyarakat yang berupaya melindungi kebebasan masyarakat dalam beragama dan berkeyakinan.
রোহিঙ্গা উদ্বাস্তুদের প্রতি ঢাকাভিত্তিক সরকারি প্রতিদ্বন্দ্বিতার মুখে কিছু সৃষ্টিশীল সচেতনতামূলক পদক্ষেপ নেয়া হয়েছে। বিশেষ করে ফটোগ্রাফির মাধ্যমেএকটি বিশাল প্রচারণা শুরু হয়েছে ঢাকা, বাংলাদেশের অন্যান্য অঞ্চল এবং সারা বিশ্বের মানুষের জন্য, এটি দেখানর জন্য যে রোহিঙ্গা কারা এবং এদের অধিকার রক্ষার জন্য কি করা যেতে পারে ।
বাংলাদেশের প্রায় সব রাজনৈতিক, অর্থনৈতিক এবং সংবাদমাধ্যমের মতে ঢাকা মানবাধিকার লঙ্ঘনের প্রতিবাদের জন্য আন্তর্জাতিক সম্প্রদায়ের কাছে একটি শক্তিশালী স্থান। প্রামানিক আলোকচিত্রী সাইফুল হক অমি ঢাকার বাইরে কাজ করেন এবং ২০০৯ সাল থেকে তিনি রোহিঙ্গা সমস্যার প্রতি মনোনিবেশ করেন। অমি নিজেকে একজন আলোকচিত্রী বলার চেয়ে সামাজিক কর্মী হিসাবে বর্ণনা করেন। এখন পর্যন্ত তিনি “বাংলাদেশে আড়ম্বরহীন রোহিঙ্গা শরণার্থী বর্জন ও অস্বীকার” নামে একটি আলকচিত্রের প্রদর্শনী করেছেন। অমি বাংলাদেশের শরণার্থী শিবিরের এই সকল ছবি ব্যবহার করেন উদবাস্তু মানুষের জীবনের কাহিনী তুলে ধরার জন্য যারা নিজেরা নিজেদের কষ্টের কথা বলতে পারে না। উদাহরণস্বরূপ, সাম্প্রতিককালে তিনি এশিয়ান ইউনিভার্সিটি ফর উইমেন-এ (যেখানে ১৪ টি দেশের মেয়েরা পড়াশোনা করছে) তার রোহিঙ্গা শিবিরের আলোকচিত্রগুলো দেখান এবং বর্ণনা করেন যে কেন রোহিঙ্গা শরণার্থীদের সাহায্য করা গুরুত্বপূর্ণ এবং কেন এখানে আন্তর্জাতিক সাহায্য প্রয়োজন।
অমির কাজ দেখায় যে রোহিঙ্গাদের মানবাধিকার রক্ষা একটি চরম অস্বীকৃত সমস্যা এবং শহর কেন্দ্রিক এই প্রচারণা প্রমান করে যে এটির দ্রুত সমাধান জরুরি, যদিও এই প্রচারণা এখনো সরকারের সিদ্ধান্তের বিরধিতা করতে রোহিঙ্গাদের উপর উপযুক্ত রাজনৈতিক মনোযোগ আকর্ষণ করতে পারে নি। তারপরও সৃজনশীল উপায়ে রোহিঙ্গা সমস্যার সমাধানের চেষ্টা, যা অনেক নাগরিকদের দৃষ্টি আকর্ষণ করে, একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ পদক্ষেপ। বিশ্বের সকল আলোকচিত্রীরা এবং অন্যান্য মিডিয়ার সদস্যরা তাদের গৃহীত আলোকচিত্রসমূহ অন্যান্য প্রমান প্রদর্শনীর মাধ্যমে সংখ্যালঘু জাতিদের প্রতি বৈষম্যর বিরুদ্ধে কাজ করতে পারে যখন সরকার নীরব থাকে।
Photo credits: Saiful Huq Omi
What is the current situation in Mumbai?
About 80 percent of low-income rental units in India exist in the informal market. These affordable units house Mumbai’s working poor and are rented out by makeshift landlords, who are often poor themselves but who capitalize on any extra space they have at home. For migrant laborers, renting makes sense. Many migrants are short-term residents, earning enough during short spurts of work to then return to their home villages. While in the city, their circumstances are precarious, and work opportunities come and go quickly. Renting, as opposed to home ownership — which has dominated the government’s policy focus for the urban poor — allows for flexibility and a fluidity that matches the migrants’ life and experiences in the city. Chetan, for example, does not pay rent when he returns to his family in his home village for months at a time. While there is certainly a place for home ownership for the urban poor — some of whom have been the fabric of this city for generations — a mixed housing stock is essential for meeting their varying shelter needs. Learn more.
Yearlong research by Monitor Inclusive Markets in the slums and other low-income neighborhoods of Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai showed that the water quality was problematic and highly seasonal — over half of all samples did not meet government standards. In addition, residents found water difficult to access, with limited hours of availability and multiple days without supply. To respond to this dire situation, MIM has launched a project to examine this need for safe drinking water and to develop a financially sustainable, pay-per-use water plant solution that provides water in an affordable, accessible, and reliable manner. Learn more.
The Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), accepted by the Government of Maharashtra in 2004, included a proposal that Dharavi be divided into five sectors, based on existing transport corridors and new roads envisioned by the master plan. It also included what was nominally a way to finance the building of free housing and infrastructure for Dharavi residents. This plan quickly came under attack. Learn more.
After four months researching malnutrition among young children in the slums of Mumbai, Dasra, a leading strategic philanthropic organization in India, concluded that child malnutrition in Mumbai’s informal settlements is, at its core, a political and behavioral issue among key stakeholders — specifically, caregivers and public health care providers. The resulting research report focused on children from birth to age three and surveyed 50 organizations working with marginalized communities in Mumbai, including SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action), Mumbai Mobile Creches, and Apnalaya. In part two of a series on child malnutrition in Mumbai, Dasra offers insights into how caregivers’ practices can be changed. Learn more.
Much of the discussion around services to the urban poor revolves around such basic necessities as water, sanitation, land rights, and upgraded housing. The city’s emergency services — woefully unavailable even to the wealthy — are much less present in the public debate. Yet infrastructure needs and emergency response are intimately intertwined. How can the fire department respond to a fire if water services in a given area are only available for an hour each day? If slums are undocumented and unmapped, do first responders know how to navigate the narrow alleyways? Is their equipment even capable of snaking through these tightly woven lanes? Learn more.