Research shows that about 94% of slum dwellers in urban areas are landless people. The average annual income of those families is a little over 150,000 taka. Sixty-eight percent of them said they send money to relatives living in rural areas. About 82 percent of slum dwellers told the research team that they live in insecurity about the availability of food.
Summarizing the findings of the research, Abul Barakat said that according to this research, the rate of urban poverty is not less than 40 percent, although government statistics claim this number to be 18.9 percent.
The research also stated that the living conditions in slums are completely inhuman. There all the family members live in a small room. Only 16 per cent of them have access to safe sanitation and potable water. Furthermore, the amount of money they spend on access to water, electricity and gas relative to their income is much higher than that of the wealthier. They are the victims of inequality here.
About 41 percent of slum-dwelling households never attended school, and 64 percent go to local pharmacies for medical treatment. Although 95 percent of slum dwellers have access to mobile phones, only 5 percent have accounts with traditional banks. About 12 percent of them received the government’s social security program and 28 percent received old age allowance.