Housing for the poor a forgotten agenda of CDA

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Effective policies on housing for the poor place a strong emphasis on community-government collaboration based on the concept of internal-external development.
In Pakistan, the Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority (SKAA) introduced this approach. It learnt the secret of providing shelter to the poor from land-grabbers in the informal sector. This approach is also applied in undertaking improvements in sanitation and solid waste management.
Internal development means building structures and carrying out activities at home and lane level. External development includes structures and activities above the lane level. For example, in the provision of sanitation facilities, internal development includes construction of pour flush latrines at home, laying of sewerage lines in lanes and small secondary sewers and construction of manholes in the lane. External development includes trunk sewerage lines and liquid waste disposal and treatment systems.
In improving solid waste management, internal development includes separation of inorganic and organic waste at home, collection of waste from home to community dumpster and recycling. External development means collection of waste from the dumpster to disposal site, construction, operation and maintenance of hygienic landfill and/or composting and recycling of city waste.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) decided to replicate this approach in Islamabad more than a decade ago. As a first step, CDA employed the Geographic Information System (GIS) in squatter settlements in Islamabad to build the capacity of government departments in dealing with the demands of residents for services.
The GIS is an information system that is designed to work with data referenced by spatial or geographic coordinates. It is both a database system with specific capabilities for spatially referenced data, as well as a set of operations for working (analysis) with the data. The expanded use of this system is used to identify specific MDG needs at the local level.
The process involving GIS and the participation of settlements dwellers in regularising ‘katchi abadis’ and giving ownership rights to its residents was as follows:
a. The maps prepared by a local NGO survey and/or Capital Development Authority (CDA) during 1995-96 were updated. Houses, which had been constructed after the cut-off date of March 7, 2002, were declared identified as irregular constructions.
b. All maps of squatter settlements were digitised and existing positions were earmarked on the layout plans.
c. The houses considered constructed before the cut-off date only were allotted numbers (C-numbers). The premises used as ‘kabarkhanas’ (junkyards), at other facilities were given C-number and marked as such on the maps. However, they were not declared eligible for ownership right. All properties without any number will ultimately be demolished without provision of any compensation.
d. To involve the dwellers of ‘katchi abadis’ in the upgradation work, local committees comprising members from amongst the dwellers were constituted and consulted in all matters relating to the relevant slums.
e. To collect information about the dwellers of ‘katchi abadis’, socio-economic survey was conducted in which information about head of family, number of families, total number of each family, their family income, NIC numbers, date of arrival in the ‘abadi’ (settlement), place of origin before arrival and number of rooms within each ‘chardewari’ (enclosure) was recorded.
f. Draft lists of dwellers eligible to stay in the colony, based on the physical and socio-economic surveys were compiled and pasted at prominent places in each colony. The dwellers were directed to file objections on contents of the lists. Some good suggestions were received through the objections, which provided guidance in designing policy for upgradation.
g. The objections filed by the dwellers were discussed with the applicants in the presence of the members of the local committees and action as appropriate was taken to finalize the list. Points requiring decision were presented in the meetings of the Steering Committee whose decision formed the policy.
h. The final list of dwellers was again pasted at prominent places in the colony to inform the dwellers as to who were eligible to stay in the colony.
i. The Maintenance Directorate of CDA was provided with the updated plans of ‘katchi abadis’ for the preparation of water and sewerage line provision as part of upgradation plans.
j. On the advice of the Maintenance Directorate, and with the active participation of local committees, the streets were widened to a minimum width of 8 feet. The dwellers willingly and actively participated in this development work even of they had to readjust their built up area or to surrender open areas. Cooperation of the dwellers in this work is appreciable.
k. The Maintenance Directorate also marked the alignment of the trunk sewer lines passing through ‘katchi abadis’ and desired clearance of a corridor 10 feet wide on each side of the line for its maintenance. This results in complete demolition of certain housing units and part adjustment of others. This work remains to be carried out.
l. After the adjustment of the dwelling units and because of the widening of streets, the exact area of each dwelling unit is worked out to form the basis for the recovery of cost of the land from the dwellers.
m. The steering committee recommended certain rates for the determination of cost of plots of various sizes located in ‘katchi abadis’. These rates were to be approved by the CDA. Higher rates of plots will be charged from the dwellers that constructed their dwelling units after the cut-off date. If they do not agree, they will have to surrender the land in favour of the CDA. These rates are awaiting approval of the CDA Board.
After going through a lengthy process to transfer ownership rights to the dwellers of ‘katchi abadis’ and provide housing to low-income families in future development of all sectors, the CDA has turned its back to the poorest of poor in Islamabad.