As winter descends upon the capital with a deep layer of fog, life stays as stagnant and unchanging as the winter smog in the katchi abadis of Islamabad. Treated as outsiders, the residents of katchi abadis face a number of challenges while living in the most destitute areas of Islamabad, trying as everyone to make a living.The CDA periodically demolishes unregistered abadis, leaving residents in constant fear of losing their homes. People residing in these abadis experience harsh living conditions, struggling with inadequate infrastructure and limited resources. They face further challenges due to hazardous sanitary conditions, inadequate access to education for their children and class-based exploitation of their resources.
A katchi abadi is identified as a settlement that has been haphazardly emerged without prior planning. Over the years, due to the need of a labour force within Islamabad, a handful of abadis in Islamabad were legalised and registered with the CDA. While as per our research, there are over 40 katchi abadis across Islamabad that have not been recognised and face threats of bulldozing or eviction. These include abadis with residents claiming they lived there since the Soviet war in Afghanistan. You’ll see a typical abadi having residents from multiple backgrounds including Christians and Hindus, and from various ethnic backgrounds as well.
One of the most significant challenge that residents within these abadis face is the lack of land rights. Residents living in these abadis facing abject poverty conditions are not only tormented by threats and frequent demolitions of their homes by the CDA, but also receive no services. The abadis are either forcefully disconnected from electricity or are obstructed from access to water, electricity and gas. The residents themselves have found makeshift ways to address their needs temporarily, but critically, the CDA has withdrawn all services including garbage collection. Not partaking in their necessary duties, the CDA leaves the residents to their own accord which it eventually has to come enforce if accidents or inconveniences with nearby local populations occur.
Living either on or adjacent to running sewage, the population living in these abadis suffer from diseases spread through open trash dumping which become breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes. Hence, the prevalence of diseases such as malaria and dengue becomes a major health concern, affecting the overall health and well-being of the population. Any illnesses or afflictions spread like wildfire, limiting the ability of breadwinners by having them take care of loved ones or plaguing them with life-long illnesses that further affect their ability to earn a stable income, thus perpetuating the poverty trap that the people here find themselves in.
Additionally, access to education remains difficult as the Model Schools and Colleges in the areas practice discrimination against the parents and deny admission into the schools, saying that there are not enough places for admission, while at the same time allowing parents from within the same more middle-class areas to enroll their children. Lack of access to equitable education limits the opportunities for budding youth to earn and provide for their families. Thus, unfortunately, we see a number of families relying on their children to provide for their families by working as part of the labour force and selling fruits and vegetables.Due to such extreme working conditions, some of the residents resort to thievery and dacoyteeism, further staining the reputation of the working class area. This is what happened in F-11, where an entire village was leveled allegations of theft and the residence of the entire village were asked to be gotten rid of from the ‘urban middle-class’ area.
The urban middle and upper class source their cheap and affordable labour from these slum areas and continue the cycle of exploitation where the middle-class continue to benefit from state-provided services such as water, gas and electricity. Meanwhile the slum areas do not even receive electricity at night and instead have to either use illegal means or a negotiated settlement for power sources. In the CDA-regulated slum areas, some areas such as France Colony have installed solar panels to complete their energy needs, whereas in most cases we see residents having to use wooden logs from trees cut down from public areas to simply keep their stoves running.
Life in the slum areas of Islamabad is marked by a complex web of challenges, encompassing health, education, and exploitation in the labor market. Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive approach that includes not only improved infrastructure and services but also initiatives to eliminate discrimination and provide equal opportunities for residents of all socioeconomic backgrounds.
The writer is a political activist, affiliated with Awami Workers Party (AWP)
Life in slum areas of Islamabad
As winter descends upon the capital with a deep layer of fog, life stays as stagnant and unchanging as the winter smog in the katchi abadis of Islamabad. Treated as outsiders, the residents of katchi abadis face a number of challenges while living in the most destitute areas of Islamabad, trying as everyone to make a living.The CDA periodically demolishes unregistered abadis, leaving residents in constant fear of losing their homes. People residing in these abadis experience harsh living conditions, struggling with inadequate infrastructure and limited resources. They face further challenges due to hazardous sanitary conditions, inadequate access to education for their children and class-based exploitation of their resources.
A katchi abadi is identified as a settlement that has been haphazardly emerged without prior planning. Over the years, due to the need of a labour force within Islamabad, a handful of abadis in Islamabad were legalised and registered with the CDA. While as per our research, there are over 40 katchi abadis across Islamabad that have not been recognised and face threats of bulldozing or eviction. These include abadis with residents claiming they lived there since the Soviet war in Afghanistan. You’ll see a typical abadi having residents from multiple backgrounds including Christians and Hindus, and from various ethnic backgrounds as well.
One of the most significant challenge that residents within these abadis face is the lack of land rights. Residents living in these abadis facing abject poverty conditions are not only tormented by threats and frequent demolitions of their homes by the CDA, but also receive no services. The abadis are either forcefully disconnected from electricity or are obstructed from access to water, electricity and gas. The residents themselves have found makeshift ways to address their needs temporarily, but critically, the CDA has withdrawn all services including garbage collection. Not partaking in their necessary duties, the CDA leaves the residents to their own accord which it eventually has to come enforce if accidents or inconveniences with nearby local populations occur.
Living either on or adjacent to running sewage, the population living in these abadis suffer from diseases spread through open trash dumping which become breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes. Hence, the prevalence of diseases such as malaria and dengue becomes a major health concern, affecting the overall health and well-being of the population. Any illnesses or afflictions spread like wildfire, limiting the ability of breadwinners by having them take care of loved ones or plaguing them with life-long illnesses that further affect their ability to earn a stable income, thus perpetuating the poverty trap that the people here find themselves in.
Additionally, access to education remains difficult as the Model Schools and Colleges in the areas practice discrimination against the parents and deny admission into the schools, saying that there are not enough places for admission, while at the same time allowing parents from within the same more middle-class areas to enroll their children. Lack of access to equitable education limits the opportunities for budding youth to earn and provide for their families. Thus, unfortunately, we see a number of families relying on their children to provide for their families by working as part of the labour force and selling fruits and vegetables.Due to such extreme working conditions, some of the residents resort to thievery and dacoyteeism, further staining the reputation of the working class area. This is what happened in F-11, where an entire village was leveled allegations of theft and the residence of the entire village were asked to be gotten rid of from the ‘urban middle-class’ area.
The urban middle and upper class source their cheap and affordable labour from these slum areas and continue the cycle of exploitation where the middle-class continue to benefit from state-provided services such as water, gas and electricity. Meanwhile the slum areas do not even receive electricity at night and instead have to either use illegal means or a negotiated settlement for power sources. In the CDA-regulated slum areas, some areas such as France Colony have installed solar panels to complete their energy needs, whereas in most cases we see residents having to use wooden logs from trees cut down from public areas to simply keep their stoves running.
Life in the slum areas of Islamabad is marked by a complex web of challenges, encompassing health, education, and exploitation in the labor market. Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive approach that includes not only improved infrastructure and services but also initiatives to eliminate discrimination and provide equal opportunities for residents of all socioeconomic backgrounds.
The writer is a political activist, affiliated with Awami Workers Party (AWP)
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