The tale of Korail, a city inside a city
The biggest slum of Dhaka, Korail Bosti, sprawls over 90 acres with more than 80,000 inhabitants
Asma Akhtar, a third year honours student at the Government Titumir College, was taking me through the allies of Korail while continuously tapping on her phone screen.
Besides studying Islamic History and Arts, she works as a moderator for two online fashion pages that mostly sell sharis and women's clothing, which explains all the typing and texting.
Asma's family has been residing in Korail Bosti, the biggest slum of Dhaka, since 1998. While her elder brother was born in Noakhali, where their ancestral home is, Asma and her younger sister Reshma were born here.
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"I haven't been to Noakhali for many years. I'm the oldest daughter in my extended family and still not married, my family members consider it to be quite embarrassing," Asma said.
She aspires to be a government official one day; so, along with helping her father with the family expenses, she also studies.
We started our journey to Korail from Boubazar where a big kadam (burflower) tree marks the intersection of the main market in the area.
You can get everything here- from vegetables, fish and meat to restaurants, fabric shops etc.
Asma told us that sometimes people from Banani also come here to buy kitchen essentials.
There are two main units of the Korail slum known as Jamaibazar (unit-1) and Boubazar (unit-2). There are four subsections within Boubazar known as ka, kha, ga and gha.
The greater Korail slum is further distributed across Beltola Bosti, T&T Bosti, Baidar Bosti, Ershadnagar and Godown Bosti. Paschimpara, Purbapara, Dakshinpara, and Uttarpara are also its parts.
The slum area is gradually extending towards the Gulshan Lake side by land reclamation and filling the waterbody with waste.
According to Shanta Rani, one of the inhabitants of the newly-built lakeside rooms, the maatir rasta or the road along the lake is getting narrower as "the influential political groups in the slum are grabbing the land to build more rooms and rent those out for money."
40 years of slum establishment
In November 2020, Sanjida Ahmed Sinthia from Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology (AUST) published a case study on Korail slum in the International Journal of Urban and Civil Engineering.
In her paper titled Analysis of Urban Slum: Case Study of Korail Slum, Dhaka, she explored the history of Krail slum.
Quoting the Centre for Urban Studies (CUS) and other papers, her study says that in 1961, during Pakistani governance, the area was designated for the Department of Telegraph and Telephone Board (T&T).
That time it was under private tenure. Strict purchase conditions allowed the land to be used only by T&T.
But in 1990, 90 acres were allotted to the Public Works Division (PWD), breaching the original contract.
When PWD started to develop the newly acquired land, the original owners took legal action against T&T for violating the contract. They demanded to return the land to their private ownership again.
In order to avoid further legal complications, T&T reclaimed the 90 acres of land they had given to PWD. There is dispute regarding the size of the land however, it varies between 90 to 93 to 110 acres.
Moreover, they labelled the previous development work begun by PWD as illegal.
Three parties are clear stakeholders in today's Korail slum area- T&T, PWD and the former private landowners.
In the 1990s, unoccupied pieces of the land were illegally captured by various T&T staff as well as gang leaders along with godfathers and city ward commissioners.
These individuals began to rent out the land and housing to low-income and impoverished populations at low rates. Today's Korail slum stands as the result of that growing demand for inexpensive housing.
According to reports, there are more than 80,000 people living here. And if we divide the 90 acre land by 80,000, it is around 49 square feet per person, which is a lot less than the minimum space required for a person.
UN Habitat suggests that a minimum of 9 square metres (97 square feet) per person is necessary to meet the basic needs, while the UNHCR Emergency Shelter Standards suggest 3.5 to 5.5 square metres (37.7 to 59 square feet) per person in emergency situations like refugee camps.
We spoke to Barrister Omar Sadat, the president of the Gulshan Society- a community organisation formed by the residents of the Gulshan Model Town - about the living condition of this slum where most of the househelps, security guards etc of the affluent households reside.
We wanted to know whether they feel any responsibility towards the improvement of their living quality.
"Of course we feel they need a better living condition and without first creating an alternative replacement, we don't agree with the idea of their eviction. If they leave Korail, it might make our life uncomfortable, but as human beings, it is more important to provide them a better life," he opined.
Where do these people come from?
Asma's father, Ajmol Mia, was not even married when he came to Dhaka from Noakhali back in the 1990s.
While working as a newspaper hawker in Tejgaon, he got to know of a place where cheap food was available, and anyone could grab some land and build a home.
In 1996, he married Julekha and by 1998, he brought his wife and little son to Dhaka.
"We stayed in many places in Mohakhali and Tejgaon. But they were so empty back then that Julekha felt lonely. So, I brought her to Korail where people like us came from around the country", Ajmol said. Back then, houses in the area were made of wood and corrugated sheets.
In 2002, Ajmol and Julekha built their home there and before it burnt down in the fire of 2017, that is where the family lived.
In 2009, a group of researchers from Icddr,b and BRAC conducted a study on Korail slum and the title of the study was 'The Perceptions of Community Groups to Improve MNCH in Urban Slums: An Exploratory Case study of Korail Slum in Dhaka'.
The study found that the slum communities came to the city from different districts and that the earliest inhabitants came from Cumilla district, hence giving the name 'Cumilla Potti' to that cluster.
With time, people from other districts began to arrive including Barishal, Bhola, Sherpur, Barguna, Chandpur, Jamalpur, Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Faridpur etc.
They formed different groups according to the districts and lived collectively in a cluster throughout the Korail slum.
The poor communities migrated from their rural area for diverse socio-economic and environmental reasons including land scarcity, river erosion, and climatic disasters.
The 2009 study also showed that approximately 71% of the total population living in this area have been here for more than the last 10 years. The minimum length was three years and maximum length was 18 years.
Asma and her family have been living in this slum for the last 26 years. After the fire incident, Ajmol took loans and rebuilt the two-storey residence which has 17 rooms on rent and three rooms to themselves.
With the Tk25,000 from rent that Ajmol gets, he has to pay off the interest on the loans he took.
"For the last few years, my father sold fabrics and clothes on the Gulshan-Mohakhali footpath but he lost that spot during a police eviction two months back. Now, he is planning on taking another loan to start a bhaater hotel in Korail," Asma said.
Currently, the family is struggling to repay the loans they took from a money lender at an interest rate of 4%.
"She [the lender] has connections with local politicians and leaders. If anything goes wrong, she can take it a long way", she said.
Interestingly, money lending and betting are both popular in Korail.
Md Anamul Islam Chowdhury, a sales manager of a delivery agency, worked in Banani from 2019 to 2020. His job was to monitor the deliveries and collect the money from the delivery personnel.
"I had to communicate with and monitor the young men from Korail that worked with us. And I remember during the cricket world cup or any important cricket match, we never handed out big orders to them. We had an incident when one of the guys didn't return Tk35,000 as he bet on a cricket match with the money," Anamul said.
Can you buy a piece of land in Korail?
Technically no, but lands here are handed over to individuals in exchange for an amount all the time.
"Many of the inhabitants at Korail are becoming owners of their spaces by illegally purchasing from their current landlords, who initially seized the land unlawfully as well. This created a cycle of ownership issues and impacted the social structure of the slum, with slum dwellers living in constant anxiety of evictions," Sanjida mentioned in her paper.
Shiplu owns four shabby makeshift rooms built on the lake near the boat ghat. He 'bought' those rooms for Tk3 lakh around five years ago.
As proof, he has a stamp paper worth Tk100 on which both the parties have signed under a handwritten text that simply says, this land has been handed over to Shiplu.
"Because the land is on the lake side, I could get the rooms at such a low price. If it were in the middle of the slum, I would have to pay almost double the money", he said.
According to him and others, the lakeside lands are at the risk of getting evicted at the very beginning if a drive ever happens.
"There have been multiple times when police and the local authority took steps to demolish the houses. That is why the land price is less here", Shiplu said.
At the current rate, one can buy six to seven rooms near the lakeside for Tk6 lakh whereas with the same amount, you will get three to four rooms in the middle of the slum. Depending on the room size, the price may vary.
The rent of the houses in central Korail starts at Tk3,000 and it can go up to Tk12,000, depending on the condition and facilities. Ibrahim, an HSC candidate, lives with his parents and brother in one of the 13ft by 14ft rooms for Tk3,500.
"We have to share the kitchen and one bathroom with nine inhabitants of three other rooms. The owner is earning Tk14,000 while giving the minimum facilities. My college friend lives in Mohakhali where he pays Tk12,000 for a two-room flat with a bathroom. This is how expensive living in Korail is", he told us.
Then why do they live in this condition? Why the people of Korail don't leave the slum?
"In hope that someday, when the government resettles this slum, we will get a government residence," one of the inhabitants said.
However, for people like Shanta, living in Korail gives them the opportunity to work for good money.
"The houses we work in are very rich. My 'madam' gave me a nice salwar-kameez for Eid. Also, it is near where I live. I don't have to take any transport to go to my work," she said.
For Asma, it is convenient for her to stay in Korail as the Government Titumir College is nearby and she can study for a minimum expense.
"My sister is studying Geology and Mining at Barishal University and she manages her own expenses. We do not want to stop our studies, but this should not be a burden on my parents," she said.
The boatmen of Korail
For the last nine years, the only boat ghat of Korail that linked the slum with Gulshan, was closed. The ghat reopened last December and this made the women the happiest.
"This is the easiest way to get to Gulshan-Banani Link Road. Otherwise, I had to go all the way through the maatir rasta to cross the lake", Akhi said.
There are two ways to get out of the slum- one, through the Beltola Bosti to T&T School and Wireless, another one is by the boat ghat on Gulshan Lake.
There are many political groups in Korail- Ripon group, Jewel group, Nuru group etc and they are always fighting to take most control of the Korail slum.
These conflicts even lead to murders. In the last decade, 10 people have been murdered in this slum.
"Nine years ago, due to one such conflict, the ghat was closed. Before that I used to work here as one of the boatmen; I paddled a boat to ferry the slum people to the other side for work. It was Tk2 per person then, now the boat fare is Tk10", Alamin, one of the residents near the boat ghat, said.
In the early 2000s, he came to Dhaka from Bhola in search of work. "I grew up in the land of boats and rivers. Boat-paddling is in my blood," he said.
However, the water of Gulshan Lake is pitch black and the unbearable stench makes one nauseous and according to Alamin, the beautiful rivers of Barishal never stank.
There are more than 20 boatmen who work here but no one owns the boats. They have to take the boat on contracts with the owner and pay a per day rent of Tk500-Tk600.
Korail's cultural hub- The Shaheed Rumi Memorial Library
The Shaheed Rumi Memorial Library was established in 2017 by a couple of young university graduates and leftists. Located in a slum room near the boat ghat on the eastern side of Korail, the library now has more than 3,500 books.
A group of young students continue to maintain the library after their days of studies, part-time jobs and family responsibilities.
Asma, being one of the seniors of the group, however, cannot give enough time these days. Iqbal, Ahsan Habib, Robiul, Shaluk and others however, continue to work.
"During Covid-19, we taught the children of this slum for free. There were days when more than 40 children came to our library to study and we taught them in batches till midnight. And not just academic studies, we created study circles. We used to collect funds in the slum to organise cultural programmes as well," Ibrahim said.
This year on the World Environment Day, they organised a campaign and distributed mango saplings to the slum dwellers.
The young library members even organised protests when a five-year-old child was raped in Korail in 2017. "We brought out torch marches and even organised mime acts," Ibrahim said.
Ahsan Habib is the mime artist of Korail. An HSC candidate, he works at his father's grocery store after coming back from college.
He learned mime art by watching the acts online and with his deep voice, he practises recitation as well.
"I know I am named after one of the most prominent poets of Bangladesh. After my higher secondary exam, I want to study theatre and performance art, hopefully at the University of Dhaka", he said.
Shochin Mishtanno Bhandar: Korail's very own sweet shop
Around 17 to 18 years ago, Shochin Mollik came from Old Dhaka and opened a sweet shop in Korail.
Originally from Narayanganj's Kaliganj, his family has been making sweets for many years.
"My uncle had a friend that lived in Korail and they missed good chhanar mishti (sweets made from cottage cheese). So, he came here and decided to open his own shop", Ankon Mollik, Shochin's nephew said.
Shochin Mishtanno Bhandar stands on the Boubazar market adjacent to their farm. Now Shochin's sons and his nephews look after the shop and Shochin has gone back to his ancestral home in Narayanganj.
"We have 13 cows that give 90 litres of milk everyday. We use 3/4th of the milk to make sweets and the rest is sold," Ankon shared with us.
Roshogolla and kalojaam are the most sold items. A kilogram of these sweets is sold at Tk260 and when exam results are declared, as much as 150 kg sweets are sold every day.
"On the days when SSC and HSC results are published, the sweets are sold out before midday. After 12pm, you won't find any on the shelves. That is how much we love them," Ibrahim and Asma both enthusiastically said.
Samia's Saturdays at Momotamoy Korail
Samia was a year old when she was diagnosed with speech and limb malfunction. She cannot walk like a normal 13-year-old. Her mother, Fatema Begum, works as a househelp and kept Samia with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law when she went for work.
In 2020, they went back to Gazipur, their village home, so Fatema had to leave her job. Her husband, an electrician, is the sole earner of the family while she stays at home and takes care of her daughter.
Momotamoy (Compassionate) Korail is an NGO project that works with geriatric patients and specially-abled children. Funded by International Association Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC), the project works with 26 specially-abled children of Korail.
"Every Saturday, we bring six children to our centre to provide nutritious food and physiotherapy," Jahanara Begum, one of the caregivers who also lives in Korail said.
On a rotation, these 26 children are brought to the centre at 10 in the morning. After a snacks session, they are given physiotherapy, followed by lunch. The day ends at 4 in the afternoon with music, interactive games and other activities.
"I cannot let Samia out, she cannot walk properly. These Saturdays are the only times she gets to meet her friends and play with them", Fatema Begum said.
Korail has two daycare centres where children stay while their parents are away for work. "But these have no facilities for special children like Samia. I cannot send her there."
Urban farming and other green stories of Korail
In the 2017 fire, Asma's family home was burnt to ashes. It was one of the earliest wooden homes in the slum. But the new homes were built with concrete.
"There was a tall palm tree near our house and a gigantic banyan tree shadowed our Boubazar. Both of those trees were burnt in 2017," she remembers.
She also remembers how they were not allowed to go under the palm tree with their hair loose, "Otherwise we would be possessed by some spirit, my mother said."
The banyan tree was the biggest in the entire area. A concrete platform was made around it, this bot tola was the 'culture centre' of the slum.
"We have many singers among us who perform on cultural days and occasions. We used to perform dance, recitals etc on Ekushey February, Independence Day etc", said Asma and Iqbal simultaneously.
After the 2017 fire, there is no bot tola for the Korail residents.
Among the remaining old trees inside the 90 acres of the slum, one wood apple tree (of which the Beltola Bosti is named after), kadam tree and another banyan tree exist.
Along the lake side of the slum, Shanta Rani is growing aubergine, okra, and spinach on the tiny land behind her corrugated room.
"Back in my home in Rangpur, we had a vegetable garden, it was more beautiful than this. But this one is also nice", Shanta Rani sometimes sells her spinach and danta shaak at Tk5/Tk6 per bundle in the Boubazar kitchen market.
Her banana plant right on the lakeside had bananas last month. She didn't sell any, rather gave them away to her neighbours.
