
The squatter settlement is unplanned and has the following characteristics:
- overcrowded and noisy
- houses are made from cardboard, wood, corrugated iron, plastic sheeting and metal from oil drums
- lack of sanitation, clean drinking water and open sewers
- pollution and disease are common
- thousands of workshops and people employed in the informal job sector
What are the problems faced by squatter settlements?
Due to its illegal status, squatter settlements lack an adequate supply of various infrastructures. These settlements have poor drainage and roads, sanitation, water supply, market places, and health centers among others. Even though these resources are in some settlements, they are poorly maintained, disorganized, and unreliable.
What is a squatter settlement made of?
Homes in squatter settlements are typically constructed from scrap material including wood, plastic sheeting and corrugated metal when they are first built. Over time more sophisticated materials can be used to improve the quality of housing. Squatter settlements are not only found in Lagos.
What is life like in a squatter settlement in Lagos?
what is life like in a squatter settlement in Lagos? What are squatter settlements? In Lagos, the lack of housing and rapid rate of urbanisation has forced millions of people to build their own homes. These are typically on land they do not own. However, in Lagos, some homes have been built on water.
Why do the authorities want to demolish a squatter settlement?
However, the authorities want to demolish it to help improve the image of the city. Though residents have nowhere else to live. In recent years the authorities have demolished areas of squatter settlements, like the one in 2012.

What are the problems of squatter settlements?
In terms of environmental challenges in the squatter settlements and slums, air and water pollution, lack of personal hygiene and poor environmental sanitation, and health, noise, and cultural pollution are among the most visible ones. Sprawling, litter, and polluted waterways are most prevalent in most urban slums.
What are the 3 biggest problems of informal settlements?
Informal settlements are characterized by a lack of basic services, pollution, overcrowding and poor waste management.
What are conditions like for people living in squatter settlements?
Unplanned and typically located on peripheral or marginal land, squatter settlements have poor infrastructure and inadequate public services, including water, health, and sanitation. Houses tend to be auto-constructed and built incrementally.
What are 3 Consequences of squatter settlements?
three consequences of rapid squatter settlements are: increased unemployment, pollution to the environment, and a negative aspect of a country's reputation. All who live in squatter settlements are unemployed.
What do informal settlements lack?
Informal settlements are characterized by a lack of basic services, pollution, overcrowding and poor waste management. These characteristics impact negatively on the environment posing risk and susceptibility to health problems associated with informal settlements.
How can squatter settlements be improved?
Improving squatter settlementsSite and service schemes. People pay a small amount of rent for a site and they can borrow money to buy building material. Rent money used to provide basic services.Self-help schemes. Government and local people working together to improve life. ... Local authority schemes.
What are three characteristics of a squatter settlement?
Characteristics of squatter settlementshouses built from dried mud as the walls and corrugated iron for the roof.no toilets.no electricity between phone lines.no running water, sewage or electricity in homes.no paved roads or sewers.little space between houses.no infrastructure.extremely high density's.More items...•
What are the causes of squatting?
There are two reasons for this: one is internal to the squatter, and the other is external. Internal reasons include, lack of collateral assets; lack of savings and other financial assets; daily wage/low-income jobs (which in many cases are semi-permanent or temporary).
What are economic consequences of squatter settlements?
The study also found out that squatting displaces the host ex- farmers from their farmland and leads to consequent poverty and livelihood disasters. It is recommended that, political will in accessing residential land and financial commitment of the government is required.
Are squatter settlements illegal?
In the United States, squatting is illegal and squatters can be evicted for trespassing.
What are the causes of informal settlement?
According to UN-Habitat (2015:2), informal settlements are caused by a range of interrelated factors, including population growth and rural-urban migration, lack of affordable housing for the urban poor, weak governance (particularly in the areas of policy, planning, land and urban management resulting in land ...
What are examples of informal settlements?
Common categories or terms associated with informal housing include: slums, shanty towns, squats, homelessness, backyard housing and pavement dwellers.
What are the problems of urban settlement?
Some of the major health problems resulting from urbanization include poor nutrition, pollution-related health conditions and communicable diseases, poor sanitation and housing conditions, and related health conditions.
What are the problems of human settlement in developing country?
The settlements in developing countries, suffer from various problems, such as unsustainable concentration of population, congested housing and streets, lack of drinking water facilities. They also lack infrastructure such as, electricity, sewage disposal, health and education facilities.
What was the first destination for climate migrants to Khulna?
The first destination for most of the climate migrants to Khulna was its slums and squatters settlements to which they had easy access, but the migration destination offered them little or no improvement in their housing because they could not afford the cost of formal housing. Not all the migrant households could gain access to established urban slums ; only a few who had relatives or social networks could access or rent a place in the established urban slums . Most of these urban slums are maintained or owned by “musclemen” (local community leaders whose power and influence stems from the political leaders and current ruling party of the country), who did not allow just anyone to live in their slums. Migrant households who could not afford or gain access to the urban slums usually established themselves as squatters in urban fringe areas, on marginal agricultural land, along rail corridors, next to the highway, or even in the natural drainage network, as well as in low-lying flood-prone areas and on river banks. These migrants settled wherever they could get free or cheap land. In most cases, they built their own informal shelters with dry leaves, plastic bags, bamboo, and mud on whatever land they could access. In some cases, migrant households chose to live on public construction sites (bridges or culverts). Sometimes, private landowners allowed these migrant families to live on their agricultural land or construction sites in order to protect their land and provide security for the assets on the site. These informal settlements provide immediate shelter for the migrant communities, but impact the existing land use pattern. Figure 19.5 shows the location of the climate migrants in Khulna’s urban area ( Ahsan, 2013 ).
What percentage of the population lives in informal settlements in Ahmedabad?
In Ahmedabad, about 40% of the population resides in informal settlements. A substantial number of the urban poor reside in these locations. The two dominant types of informal settlements are slums that have developed out of the illegal occupation of the marginal areas of the city by migrants and squatters, and chawls, which are residential units originally built for workers in the mills and factories. Most slum dwellers tend to settle along the waterways in the city, like Sabarmati River, on vacant land or in low-lying areas ( Bhatt, 2003 ).
What are the challenges of WSUD?
The (re)development and upgrading of informal settlement areas in a water-sensitive manner pose several challenges, such as limited budgets, increasing population, and a National Housing Policy advocating for only basic water supply and sanitation services for these areas. WSUD should no longer be the domain of the upper socioeconomic class as it is equally important to the poor communities in need of quantity and quality water. WSUD not only entails far more than retrofit of urban systems to be more water sensitive but also includes a social dimension to environmentally educate communities. As such, informal settlement development should attempt to “leapfrog” the stages through which the formal settlement areas have developed, thereby avoiding the need to retrofit these areas at some time in the future. Using water-sensitive technologies should also result in a range of secondary benefits for these communities, helping to address some of the misperceptions of authorities regarding the social advantages of WSUD. WSUD approaches should form part of national priorities, recognizing that advocating WSUD principles in policies will be confronted by challenges of density, scale of demand, and political sensitivities concerning the perceived quality of the engineering options it represents. The focus of providing WSUD in South Africa should be framed as a social component and justified in terms of equity and provision of services to all people ( Fisher-Jeffes et al., 2012 ).
How does remote sensing help in slums?
The application of remote sensing technique provides ways to map slums/informal settlements through using satellite imagery ( Kohli et al., 2012) ( Fig. 8 ). Remote sensing technology provides spatially rich data with high spatiotemporal consistency for monitoring the slum/informal settlements and effective intervention by local authorities. A substantial literature has emerged that covers topics related to application of remote sensing and image processing for characterizing informal settlements and estimates population distribution patterns ( Aminipouri et al., 2009; Kohli et al., 2012; Owen and Wong, 2013; Sietchiping, 2004 ), assessing the socioeconomic status by area ( Niebergall et al., 2007) and object-oriented classification of informal settlements within urban area ( Niebergall et al., 2008) and extraction of informal enclaves within the concentration of large settlements ( Hofmann et al., 2008; Mayunga et al., 2010 ). Informal settlement classification takes advantage of object-based image analysis (OBIA) methods for examining dwelling patterns and to estimate based on shape, size, and spacing ( Blaschke and Lang, 2006; Hay and Castilla, 2006; Hurskainen and Pellikka, 2004 ). Indicators to measure informal settlements encompass vegetation, road type, materials, accessibility, terrain geomorphology, texture, spacing of housing structures, proximity to hazards, consistency of housing orientation, proximity to city center and social services, dwelling size, dwelling set back, building density, and roofing materials ( Kohli et al., 2012 ). Research by Angeles et al., 2009, used VHR satellite imagery to extract concentration of urban poverty. Jain, 2007, demonstrated that remote sensing application could explain the patterns of informal development over time.
What is Figure 19.6?
Figure 19.6. Informal Settlement and available service facilities for forced migrants. (a) Informal settlements in urban agricultural land and along the highways in Khulna. (b) Informal settlements in urban fringe and low-lying areas in Khulna. (c) Sanitation facilities for urban poor and the migrant residents in fringe and urban areas.
What is remote sensing used for?
It is notable that the application of remote sensing and EO-based satellite data along with GIS is widely used for a variety of applications ranging from detecting and mapping human settlements, informal settlements, or slums, assessing humanitarian crisis, to monitoring refugees and IDPs. Limitation of natural resources, rapid population growth, higher concentration of urban population, frequent natural disasters, and humanitarian crises are major global concerns that researchers and practitioners focusing on settlement issues are well poised to address. To address issues related to human settlements, sustainable development, and human impacts on the environments, application of remote sensing spanning local to global scales demonstrates strong utility for assessing and monitoring current settlement conditions, predicting future issues, and contributing to decision-making for a better and sustainable world or human settlement.
What is the clash of rationalities in dealing with informal settlements in the global South?
Our study illustrates a clash of rationalities in dealing with informal settlements in the global South: the neoliberal visioning of a modern, globally competitive, and orderly city, and the right of city authorities and the private sector to “upgrade” the city and the rights of ordinary citizens for access to services, housing, space, and a decent life. Both positions offer promises of a better future but cannot guarantee that experience will be improved for all, particularly the poor. Neither approach provides much clarity about the social and spatial outcomes and the effects of (re)making place on broader political, economic, and social processes of the city.
What are the problems of living in a squatter settlement?
Population density is very high in squatter settlements in Lagos. This is because of the lack of available land to build on. The area known to outsiders as Makoko is actually six distinct “villages” spread across land and water: Oko Agbon, Adogbo, Migbewhe, Yanshiwhe, Sogunro and Apollo. The first four are the floating communities, known as “Makoko on water”; the rest are based on land. In these floating communities, homes are built on stilts on the edge of the Lagos Lagoon. It is estimated that a quarter of a million people live in Makoko.
Should Makoko be demolished or improved?
After all, it is their home. Residents have already taken steps to improve services crisscrossing the lagoon bed are pipes, paid for and laid by enterprising residents to bring in clean water – for a modest fee – from boreholes in neighbouring Sogunro.
How many squatter settlements are there in Lagos?
There are 13 squatter settlements in Lagos, These are: The map below shows the location of a number of squatter settlements in Lagos. Squatter settlements are found all over Lagos. They are typically found in areas where more wealthy people do not want to live. This includes marshland and land close to industry.
What is a squatter settlement?
Squatter settlements are any collection of buildings where the people have no legal rights to the land they are built upon. The people are living there illegally and do not own the land. They provide housing for many of the world’s poorest people and offer basic shelter.
When did Makoko Floating School open?
Makoko Floating School. Photograph: Andrew Esiebo for the Guardian. Doctors Without Borders opened a floating clinic in January 2011; although very popular when it launched, it stayed open less than a year. Today Makoko continues to be served by a network of informal, unregistered clinics that attend to basic ailments.
Why did the authorities demolish Badia?
However, the authorities want to demolish it to help improve the image of the city. Though residents have nowhere else to live. In recent years the authorities have demolished areas of squatter settlements, like the one in 2012. Badia, a swampland settlement on the edge of the city’s Apapa Port, was one of the worst-hit targets. More than 15,000 people have lost their homes.
What is the lack of housing in Lagos?
In Lagos, the lack of housing and rapid rate of urbanisation has forced millions of people to build their own homes. These are typically on land they do not own. However, in Lagos, some homes have been built on water.

Squatter Settlements in Developed Countries
- Even though squatter settlements are not common in developed states, there are numerous European cities with shanty towns. The high number of immigrants has resulted in the growth of shanty towns in the cities situated on the entry points of the EU like Patras and Athens. Canada …
Squatter Settlements in Developing Nations
- The largest Asian slum is Orangi in Pakistan. Orangi became quite famous during the 1980s when the locals initiated the Orangi-Pilot Project after being frustrated by lack of development from the government. Slums are known as ‘’bidonvilles’’ in francophone nations like Haiti and Tunisia. Some of the biggest slums in the world are located in Kenya (Mathare and Kibera), South Africa, Brazil…
Disadvantages of Squatter Settlement
- Fire is one of the main dangers in these settlements not only because of no fire station, but the lack of a formal street grid makes it hard for the fire trucks to access the squatter settlements. They are fire hazards primarily due to the flammable materials used to build some of these homes and the high density of buildings. These settlements have high rates of diseases, drug use, suici…
Characteristics of A Squatter Settlement
- Due to its illegal status, squatter settlements lack an adequate supply of various infrastructures. These settlements have poor drainage and roads, sanitation, water supply, market places, and health centers among others. Even though these resources are in some settlements, they are poorly maintained, disorganized, and unreliable. They also lack va...
Squatter Settlements in Developed Countries
- Even though squatter settlements are not common in developed states, there are numerous European cities with shanty towns. The high number of immigrants has resulted in the growth of shanty towns in the cities situated on the entry points of the EU like Patras and Athens. Canada Real, a low-class settlement in Madrid, is considered to be the largest slum in Europe. Squatter s…
Squatter Settlements in Developing Nations
- The largest Asian slum is Orangi in Pakistan. Orangi became quite famous during the 1980s when the locals initiated the Orangi-Pilot Project after being frustrated by lack of development from the government. Slums are known as ‘’bidonvilles’’ in francophone nations like Haiti and Tunisia. Some of the biggest slums in the world are located in Kenya (Mathare and Kibera), South Africa, Brazil…
Disadvantages of Squatter Settlement
- Fire is one of the main dangers in these settlements not only because of no fire station, but the lack of a formal street grid makes it hard for the fire trucks to access the squatter settlements. They are fire hazards primarily due to the flammable materials used to build some of these homes and the high density of buildings. These settlements have high rates of diseases, drug use, suici…