VOLUME 40 NUMBER 1 SJPG JUNE 2017

Livelihood Strategy and Vulnerability of Squatters’ Settlement: A Case of Municipality, Nawalparasi, Western

Devi Prasad Paudel

Abstract This paper attempts to explore the livelihood strategy of the people of squatter settlement at Sun- wal Municipality of Nawalparasi. Sunwal Municipality sees an influx of a large number of immigrants from the different districts. A few of them are living in the temporary dwellings in marginal land of forest, public land and banks of streams since a long time. The squatters of Sunwal Municipality have adopted different kinds of livelihood strategies. Most of them reported that they work as masons at construction sites, small business, vegetable farming, fruits shops, and rickshaw pullers while some have gone for foreign employment. A small percent of them are in government service. The paper concludes that squatters have been facing a number of problems and their lives are getting more complex. The squatters’ settlement was found unsatisfactory and not well managed in previous years. The squatters’ settlement has also polluted environmental condition. They are compelled to change their livelihood strategies that have been making it diffi- cult for them to adopt the urban settlement. Municipality authorities need to think of settling these problems with priority. It can be done with the help of local government giving them the responsi- bility for controlling and managing the planned and safe settlement for the sustainable develop- ment of the municipality.

Keywords Governance, livelihood strategy, vulnerability, squatter settlement, urbanization and squatters dwellers

Corresponding Author

Devi Prasad Paudel, Email: [email protected]

60 Livelihood Strategy and Vulnerability of Squatters’ Settlement

Introduction The growing proportion of squatter dwellers in large cities signals the difficulties lying ahead (Chandana, 2004). Squatters’ settlements are found particularly in the Third World countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India etc. A squat- ters’ settlement is an area where poor people temporarily settle. Such settlements are burning problems of the 21st century in the urban areas. The squatters or urban poor live with many deprivations and their challenges may include: limited access of employment opportunities and income, insecure housing and service, violent and unhealthy environments, limited access to adequate health and edu- cation opportunities (World Bank, 2003). During the period, squatters have be- come one of the major issues in the capital cities of the Third World. Squattering is a typical urban phenomenon whereby the poor working class cre- ates a form of temporary housing on the unwanted land or building (MOPE/IUCN, 1999). Due to meager income to buy or rent house, squatters choose the most neglected land to build their shelters, such as riverbanks, public land and open spaces. Political backing is provided to start up squatter settle- ments and ensure their continual existence (KMC/WB, 2001). The squatter settlement is primarily a form of urban poverty development at the riverbank, public land and open spaces of urban area (Dahal and Sapkota, 2005). Most of the people of squatters’ settlements struggle with low quality of living as survival livelihood strategy. In the context of Nepal, owing to the poor living conditions, most of the small farmers and low income level people struggle for sustaining their livelihood in the rural areas of the country. The rural people, who are unemployed and struggling with deep-rooted poverty, come to urban area in search of employment and relief (Bhattari, 2005). The major urban areas of Nepal have experienced a number of changes during the last two decades. It is going to increase in other urban areas in the developing countries like Nepal. This has resulted mainly due to rapid popu- lation growth especially migration and urbanization (Madai, 2006). The local/colloquial name often used for the squatters’ settlement is Sukumbasi in the context of Nepal. Since a long time, this population has suffered from the government’s forceful squatters vacating programs. Different government Reset- tlement Companies (1959/60) and the Timber Corporation of Nepal (TCN) have also accelerated the clearing of the forest areas of Terai to relocate the popula- tion. At the same time, rural people of the hilly region, who had no own land, migrated to the Tarai in search of land and food (Mahat, 1998). They settled in

South Asian Journal of Policy and Governance 61 public places, riverbanks and marginal land of forests. They especially occupied common property in the Terai. The fertile land of the Terai became an attraction for migration. Over time the land value in the Terai has gone up making it more complex for the squatters and other low income level of people to purchase a piece of land of their own.

National policies and squatter settlement Section 96 of Local Self-governance Act (LSGA), 1999 has clearly mentioned the functions and duties and power of municipalities and accordingly, “to arrange for or cause to be arranged for public toilets, sanitation and public health programs, electricity, health posts, scholarship schemes for the children of oppressed and backward community in municipality area are some of the responsibility” (HMG, 2000).All residents whether from the formal and informal shelter possess the right to adequate housing as this has been guaranteed by all the four major interna- tional conventions ratified and adopted by Nepal. Section 96 Ga (3) of LSGA 1999 has further guided municipalities to maintain an inventory of population houses and land within the municipality area, and section93 (a) has directed the wards to assist the municipality but the wards have not been able to keep the inventory of all squatters’ settlements. So many squatters’ settlement in Sunwal as well those whose names have not been registered in the ward office despite such provision in LSGA. A town cannot be developed fully unless and until the poor section of the society are brought into the mainstream of the development and their interests are also taken care of. Town Development Act 1988 was endorsed in the context of in- creasing population and urbanization to make necessary provisions for providing basic services and facilities to the people of the town by rebuilding, expanding and developing the already existing towns or building into new ones, and to maintain health, comfort and economic interest of the public (HMG, 1997). This act has provisions like town planning according to land use and physical devel- opment of the land use area, environmental conservation of town etc. But the act has not addressed the upgradation of the physical structure and environment of the squatters’ settlements. No concrete policy has been developed to address the socio-economic and envi- ronmental concerns of the squatters’ settlements till date. There is concrete land use policy, but it has not been implemented properly. The domestic laws have not yet recognized the squatters right to health, security and livelihood. The review of the policies related to squatters will be incomplete without the review of the poli-

62 Livelihood Strategy and Vulnerability of Squatters’ Settlement

cies of Squatters’ Problem Solving Commission (SPSC). A large number of people who already have their own land, have also declared themselves as squatters and held unregistered land and this trend has been a long held problem of Nepal. Due to this, the government of Nepal could not implement its land use policy to solve the problems of the genuine squatters. Landlessness is not a new phenomenon especially in the Terai region but the issue was hidden in previous decades within the traditional structures where shel- ter was provided and poor people were dependent on local landlords. Poor peo- ple are deprived of access to local resources and among them so called low caste (Dalits) people are more deprived. The increasing trend of population growth makes the life of poor people more vulnerable. In the past decades, several development policies such as modernization and lib- eralization have led small-scale farmers and people into difficulties, as they could not compete in the market for their livelihood. Migration and the displacement of poor people to the urban areas increased the number of squatters’ settlements in the cities as well. A squatter settlement indicates the occupancy of land without having negotiated its occupancy or paying for it and the illegal occupation of the marginal and de- velopmental land with the low market value (Turkstra, no date). It is often re- garded as temporary in nature. In fact, as the poor people could not afford the housing available in the urban areas, they resorted to living in abandoned land especially on the riverbanks or basins. Due to the haphazard and unmanaged growth of cities, the problem of squatters has grown rapidly. This increase has created adverse effects on envi- ronmental, demographic, socio-economic and political sectors. Sunwal Municipality is the selected study area for this paper. It is one of the new- ly established urban centers of the where the problem of landlessness and poverty is clearly visible. The squatters have been occupying the land of Sunwal since a long time though they were a few hundreds living infor- mally in Sunwal and its surroundings. This was not considered as a big problem at that time but the numbers rose further after the establishment of Sug- ar Mills in 1986. In the case of Sunwal, there are two categories of squatters. The first category was provided with the landowner’s certificate by the SPSC, but the certificates did not obtain validity as the decision of the government to distribute landowner’s certifi- cate was dismissed by another competent government agency. The second cate-

South Asian Journal of Policy and Governance 63 gory was not provided with any certificate. The second category has only been included in this study. This type of squatters’ settlement has created a number of problems in the systematic development of new urban areas and its surroundings. The present paper attempts to explore the livelihood strategy of the second cate- gory of the poor people of squatters’ settlement in Sunwal Municipality of Na- walparasi.

Study area Sunwal Municipality is one of the rapidly growing towns of Nepal. It is situated in the western part of Nawalparasi district, from where East-West Highway passes through the municipality. It is surrounded by Devdaha Municipality of Ru- pandehi district to the west, Rural Municipality to the east, Binayi- Tribeni Rural Municipality of to the north, and Ramgram Munici- pality to the south. This municipality covers a total area of 173.5 square kilome- ters. The population of this municipality is 55790 out of which male population is 25585 and female population is 30205 (LLRC, 2017). The total households of the study area are only 12018. This municipality is inhabited by different castes and ethnic groups such as Tharu, Brahmin, Yadav, Kumal, Muslim, Chamar etc. In spite of different castes and ethnic groups, they all have been coexisting in har- mony. Tharus belong to one of the dominant ethnic groups of this municipality.

Methods and materials Squatters’ settlements have developed randomly in different places of Sunwal municipality where poor dwellers and squatters have built a unique landscape in this area. In this paper, both qualitative and quantitative methods and primary as well as secondary information were applied to fulfill the objectives of the study. Published and unpublished documents were also reviewed for secondary infor- mation. Out of 1316 squatters’ households, only 15 percent were randomly se- lected for household survey. Focus Group Discussion (FGDs), Key Informant Interview (KII), field observations were also applied for collection of primary information. Altogether199 households were selected for the interview. FGDs were conducted at five different places i.e. Assambasi, Machharmara (Simaltari) Charpala, Bellauri, Bhumai (Sirjanatol, Sundarbasti) and Ramuwapur (Kerabari) where minimum 6 to 8 persons as participants representing males and females from the different ethnic background and income level were represented. Five types of key persons such as old experienced persons, schoolteachers, members of

64 Livelihood Strategy and Vulnerability of Squatters’ Settlement

Tole Sudhar Sammiti and local organizations in the settlement were taken as key informants as shown in the table.

Table 1: List of sample size of squatter settlement Settlements Total Squatter Sample KII FGDs Households Households Ramuwapur, Asambasi, Simaltari 98 15 - 1 Charpala, Bellauri 300 45 1 2 Kerabari 150 23 - 1 Sirjanatole 340 51 1 2 Sundarbasti 428 65 2 2 Total 1316 199 4 8 Source: Field Survey, 2016

Theoretical background of the study The term ‘livelihood’ is commonly used in relation to the way of thinking-an ap- proach-or a means of analysis that can be used to try to understand the complex lives that we lead. The livelihood approach is a way of working that encompasses best practice from a range of disciplines and development experiences over the past few years. In the context of Sustainable Livelihood Approach, livelihood is more than just a person’s job or the way to earn a living; it is all in all, necessary for means of living. Livelihood has been defined as comparing the capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources) and activities required for the means of living. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resources base (DFID, 1999). Thinking of livelihood moves beyond the concept of providing for ‘basic needs’ and instead takes a more positive frame of thinking, discussing livelihoods aspirations. The major component of a livelihood can be categorized into five areas: context, especially focused on vulnerability; policies, institutions and pro- cess; livelihood resources; livelihood strategies, and livelihood outcomes. A number of livelihood system models have recently emerged that present house- hold livelihood process and functions. The model used in this study has been developed by Carny in 1998 (Figure 1). Lately in 1999, CARE International brought out a Livelihood and Right Model although it was not used very much (SAGUN, 2008). Livelihood system model developed by Soussan et al., 2001 has widely been used in different contexts. It could also be used in the context of squatters and their livelihood.

South Asian Journal of Policy and Governance 65

Policies, Institutions Livelihood Strat- Livelihood Vulnerability and Processes egies Outcomes Context • Laws • Different activi- • Basic need • Shocks • Social/ Cultural ties for making • Income • Stress norms a living • Wellbeing • Trends • Organizations at all • Migration Social respect • levels • Civil Society, NGOs

Figure1: Sustainable livelihood framework Source: http://www.livelihood.org The concept of Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) first appeared in research in 1980s, and its inclusion in the White Paper marked its transfer to the policy domain. Since then, the word 'livelihood' becomes a popular word for any devel- opmental activities carried out by the Developmental Organizations over the world (Solesbury, 2003). The commission has defined the livelihood as ‘adequate stocks and flows of food and cash to meet basic needs’ (WCED, 1987; Solesbury, 2003; Chamber and Conway, 1991). Chambers and Conway (1991) modified the definition of livelihood given by WCED panel, and gave a new definition, which states, that a livelihood compris- es the capabilities, assets (resources, stores, claims and access) and activities re- quired for means of living. A livelihood is sustainable which can cope with and recovers from stress and shocks, maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets, and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the next generation; and which contributes net benefit to other livelihoods at the local and global levels and in both short and long term. The definition contains two new words to broaden the definition of livelihood and it also opens the way to connect livelihood with land users and landowners. The term assets defined in the definition refers to stores, resources, claims and access. The resources may be water and land. Nevertheless, in this study, land in general and squatters’ settlements and others in particular have been taken as the land resources. According to Scoones (1998), there arefive different types of assets. These are: natural capital, human capital, financial capital, physical capital and social capital. The Department for International Development (DFID) has identified land resources as an entry point for sustainable livelihood based approach for poverty reduction.

66 Livelihood Strategy and Vulnerability of Squatters’ Settlement

In land resources, human capital represents skills and knowledge, efficiency of land owners or users to manage land that is how to use the land. Social capital represents the resources whichare created through networks and solidarity in order to resolve conflicts, develop and establish leadership, group action and team work, increase co-operation and social cohesion, social inclusion in development activities of land users.Natural capital is land resources which is created by plantation or by regeneration of forest and bio-diversity conservation as well as agriculture and livestock farming. Physical capital represents the investment of land users’ group funds in local level physical infrastructure, increased collective capacity and strength of land users groups to invest, group fund in physical infrastructure such as construction of small bridges, roads/foot tracks, community building, school building, trails, temples, supply of safe drinking water etc. Financial capital represents the establishment of organizational fund and increased value ofclub or social organization funds through income generating activities(IGAs). In the context of Nepal, the concept of livelihood approach has been frequently adopted in the study of land resources and people’s livelihood, which are dis- cussed in some literature. The livelihood assets include natural capital (forests, water, land, fish, minerals); social capital (relationships of trust and reciprocity, groups, networks, customary law); human capital (skills, knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, labor ability, and good health); physical capital (basic infrastructure); and financial capital (monetary resources). These assets are the building blocks of livelihood of the people. A range of assets is required to achieve positive livelihood outcomes (Warner, 2002). The concept extended that livelihood diversification was widespread and found in all locations as well as across farm size, range of income and wealth. The report of Barraclough and Ghimire (1995) was based on case studies in Tan- zania, Brazil, America and Nepal. In the context of Nepal, it was found that a large number of rural poor households from the Hills migrated to the Terai in the hope of land and improving livelihood. Most of the rural people in the Hilly areas would migrate if they could gain access to fertile land in the Terai. Especially, it was reported that poor social groups like lower occupational castes; the landless and the indigenous rural people of the Terai felt the impact of deforestation. Be- cause of deforestation, landless people started to settle down and cultivate the land for their livelihood. It has created the squatters’ problems in the context of Nepal.

South Asian Journal of Policy and Governance 67 Land and people have reciprocal relationship for their mutual co-existence be- cause a large number of people in developing countries used the land for their life support (FAO, 2006). Although land itself is a natural capital, it has a crucial role to create physical, social and financial capital, which are prerequisites for basic livelihood. However, it means that the land is everything for the people for their livelihood.

Result and discussion Livelihood strategy of squatter settlement Especially, the squatters of this settlement are working in the field of house and road construction- loading and unloading of sand and pebbles from the stream. The women of squatters’ settlement are working for making Gitti (gravel for con- struction purpose) near the streams located close to their homes. Some people have gone abroad as unskilled labors. Still, some are working in the field of eco- nomic activities such as selling milk, vegetables, rearing goats, buffaloes, cow, pig and poultry farming near the marginal lands of forest especially Simaltari of Machchharmara, Bellahari, Charpala Bhumai (Sundar Basti, Sirjana tole) Ramuwapur (Asambasi, Kerabari) etc. The squatters living near the market and roadside sell fruits and juice, operate Panshop, engage in rickshaw and electronic rickshaw service from Sunwal to Ramgram, Nawalparasi, Bhumai and other settlements of the municipality for their livelihoods. The weekly markets have also been popular places for selling their products. The price of land in the Terai has gone up due to consistent and high volume flow of remittances and unprecedented political changes over the decade. A few clever squatters are also working as land brokers and land traders. The people, who have no registered land have used or encroached upon the mar- ginal land for their livelihood.

Table 2. Livelihood activities of squatter settlement in Sunwal S.N. Occupations No. of Hh Percentage 1 Agriculture and livestock 53 26.6 2 Foreign Employment 38 19.0 3 Business/ trade 16 8.0 4 Government Service 11 5.5 5 Private Service 26 13.0 6 Wages and Labor 43 21.6 7 Rickshaw/auto rickshaw 12 6.0 Total 199 100.0 Source: Field Survey, 2016

68 Livelihood Strategy and Vulnerability of Squatters’ Settlement

Table 2 shows the livelihood strategy of squatter settlement residents. A majority of them have adopted more than one economic activity for their livelihood. Of the total sample households, more than 26 percent are engaged in the agricultural and livestock sector followed by wages and labor, foreign employment, private job, business/trade, rickshaw and government service to the extent of 21.6, 19, 13, 8, 6 and 5.5 percent respectively. Hence, more people were found engaged in agriculture and livestock, foreign employment and wages and labor. Some house- holds were found to practice poultry, goat, cow and pig farming in a commercial manner. Very few squatters were found to be engaged in regular jobs such as business, government service etc. Social environment Social harmony is fundamental to human and social capital. The social relations and social environment within the squatter community was found to be good. A very good level of unity and work culture was found in the community for welfare and community development. They have mixed comments about their relation- ship with the surroundings. The relations of the squatter community with non- squatter community was found to be good with more than 54 percentage positive points. About 30 percent respondents said that they had moderate relationship. Only 6.5 percent of the squatters had no relationship with the surrounding peo- ple. More than 56 percent respondents reported that the relationship among and within squatter community is good. Likewise, more than 36 percent respondents talked about moderate relationship among the squatters. Only 7.5 percent re- spondents expressed bitter relationship among them. It indicates that the relation- ship among the poor people themselves is good.

Table 3: Social environment of squatter settlement Relationship with non-squatter Relationship among squatter Relationship No of Hh Percent Relationship No of Hh Percent Good 108 54.3 Good 112 56.8 Moderate 59 29.6 Moderate 72 36.2 Bad 19 9.5 Bad 15 7.5 No relationship 13 6.5 No relationship - - Total 199 100.00 199 100.00 Source: Household Survey, 2016 Problems and expectations of squatters’ settlement Most of the squatters of Sunwal Municipality are living in physically safe place though they have been living illegally. The problems and expectations of the squatters on priority basis were arsenic free water, employment, stability, aware- ness programs, sanitation, skill and development training, clean environment,

South Asian Journal of Policy and Governance 69 segregation of genuine squatters and equal distribution of resources among the rich and the poor.

Table 4: Problems and expectations of squatters on priority basis Problems/ Expectations On Priority Basis Arsenic Free Water 1 Employment 2 Stability 3 Awareness Programs 4 Sanitation 5 Skill Development Training 6 Clean Environment 7 Segregation of Genuine squatters 8 Equal distribution of Resource among rich and poor 9 Source: Focus Group Discussion, 2016 Vulnerabilities and risk of the squatters Vulnerability is a condition that is determined by one or more factors that in- crease the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards. This includes physical, social, economic and environmental conditions. Vulnerability means the insecurity of well-being of individuals or communities in the face of changing environment (ecological/social/economical/political) in the form of sudden shocks, long-term trend seasonal cycle (Morser, 1998). In this paper, vulnerability context is used to present the situation and factors, which disturb the livelihood options of the squatters in Sunwal. A squatter’s life is not comfortable due to poor economic condition. Most of the squatters who live in open space have a difficult environment for everyday life, as their settlement is not legalized. All the people of this area are concentrated on riverbanks, marginal land of forest and road site of East West Highway especially in the form of linear pattern. The people of squatters’ settlement have faced different vulnerabilities. The squatters of Simaltari and Charpala are in a vulnerable situation. Floods are a major problem in Simaltari of Machharmara and Charpala of Ward 7 from Turiyakhola and Kachrarkhola since long. 38 percent of the people of Simaltari told they face the threat of floods “The flood occurs frequently and damages our vegetables and livestock farming” they said. According to them, they live with the fear of floods especially during the rainy season. Similarly, 24 percent of the squatters of Charpala talked about a similar situation regarding floods. But the flood did not affect squatters of other areas. Budhaiya Kumal, 46 years old, said “this area is affected by the flood since long time. I lost my vegetable farming in the previous year from the flood. Flood al-

70 Livelihood Strategy and Vulnerability of Squatters’ Settlement

ways affects our products every year in the rainy seasons. District Development Committee has supported to make spurs in the river-side but it’s flooded in the rainy seasons. So, problem of flood remained in the same situation. I have some unregistered land. Now, I am suffering from floods and I expect to register my land and control flood by making a dam if the District Development Committee supports us. We want to drink arsenic free water. The government does not seem serious to solve our problems. Now, I am doing vegetable farming for my and my family’s survival. I have made a cemented home by selling vegetables in Sunwal Bazar”. Socio-economic problems Right to land is associated with deep-rooted history, traditions and the culture of the people. The people of squatters’ settlement always think about their unregis- tered land. Therefore, they live with the fear of being in an illegally unsafe settle- ment and with social problems such as disputes with neighbors and fights with one another unnecessarily due to alcohol drinking habit of some people. Lack of education, unemployment, inability to earn money, having no ancestral property, lack of skills and laziness are the major socio-economic problems of the squatters. Such problems create the vulnerability of squatters’ settlement. Health and drinking water Most of squatters dwellers have been found to be suffering from common diseases such as fever, common cold, diabetes etc. The children of more than 42 percent squatter households were affected by pneumonia, 14 percent diabetes, 28 percent asthma and the remaining 16 percent influenced by others common diseases. Common and chronic diseases decisively influence the livelihood strategies and level of vulnerability, particularly while household members constantly need med- ical treatment. Safe drinking water will significantly control waterborne diseases and at the same time it substantially minimizes health expenses to be incurred on treatment of such diseases. But, in the case of Sunwal, arsenic contamination in groundwater is a big problem. Most of the people use tube-well water in which the quantity of arsenic is high. The people of squatters’ settlement want to have arsenic free water. Adaptability and coping strategy The vulnerable squatters select a different variety of options to increase their adaptability and to minimize the risks of stress and shock. In the beginning, a majority of squatters of the study area said they depended on agriculture, but now their coping strategies have changed and they depend on off-farm activities for

South Asian Journal of Policy and Governance 71 their livelihood. They actively participated in cooperative fund, skill development training and other such types of economic activities for their livelihood. State Restructuring and governance As Nepal has undergone historic restructuring of the existing political as well as administrative districts, the Municipalities and Rural municipalities have been guaranteed greater authority by the new constitution of Nepal that was promul- gated in 2015. Now the huge share responsibility of solving the problems of the squatter population has come to reside on the shoulders of the local governments. The squatters have also expressed hope that the powerful municipal government will bring a policy to directly address their problems.

Conclusion The squatters of Sunwal Municipality have adopted different types of livelihood strategies. A large population of squatter settlement is engaged in agriculture and livestock and daily wage labor. Most of them reported that they work as masons of at construction sites, some people are engaged in small business such as vege- table shop, tailoring, fruits shop, beauty parlor etc. The rickshaw pullers are few in number. Similarly, low percent of the people are in different sectors like gov- ernment service. Some people are employed in foreign countries like Dubai, Qa- tar, Korea and Malaysia, UAE, Kuwait etc. This squatters’ settlement is not well managed. It lacks different infrastructure and social service such as wide roads, housing structure, safe drinking water and security compared to that of non- squatter population. The lack of education, inability to earn money, low incomes of the squatters have also complicated the problems. The heavy presence of arse- nic in the underground water is another subject of health concern to the squatter population. A number of government agencies as well as non-government agen- cies have been working actively to make underground water free from arsenic. Therefore, growth of the squatters is one of the problems of urban environment. This analysis has revealed many basic needs requirement of squatter settlements in Sunwal area such as the physical infrastructure, pure drinking water, wider road facility, garbage management, sewerage management etc. The settlement has also polluted environmental condition. So, the squatters should be made aware of its consequences. The study concludes that the squatter population of the settlement requires land entitlement, skill-based training, education and knowledge and social awareness programs for their enhancement, which ulti- mately will improve their livelihood strategies.

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As the livelihood of this community is equally linked with the surrounding envi- ronment, the government and the municipal agencies as well as the non- government agencies working in the area to improve the quality of life of squat- ters and to enhance the physical and natural environment should work in close concert and coordination while implementing policies and focused programs in the coming days as coordination among central and local government, NGOs and CBOs regarding management and upgradation of squatters’ settlement was found to be unsatisfactory in previous years. Emphasis should be given to creating public awareness among the squatter population about health, hygiene and adaptability for their livelihood and enhancement.

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