1

FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity

Factors Facilitating Undesirable Living Conditions

in Dhaka City: Perception of the Residents


IrumProteek,RaafiZakariaandSamirahBintZulfiqar

October2014

TheauthorsarestudentsofeconomicsatBRACUniversity.Thenamesareinalphabeticalorderandeachhadequalcontribution
inconductingtheresearchandwritingthisreport.

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FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity

Acknowledgements

ThereportentitledFactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity:PerceptionoftheResidents
providesarankingoftheundesirablefeaturesoflivinginDhakaCity.ThereporthasbeenpreparedbyIrumProteek,
RaafiZakariaandSamirahBintZulfiqar.TheentireresearchwasconductedundertheguidanceofDr.SajjadZohir,
ResearchDirector,EconomicResearchGroup(ERG)andProfessor,DepartmentofEconomicsandSocialSciences,
BRACUniversity.Oursincerestthankstoalltherespondentsandthosewhohelpedconductthesurveys.Andour
heartiestgratitudetothestaffatERGfortechnicalandlogisticsupport.

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FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity

Abstract:

ThispaperisastudyontheperceptionofresidentsofDhakacityregardingthefeatureoflivingthatmostdispleases
them,anditrankstenlistedfeaturesinthesurveyaccordingtotheresidentsperception,inorderofdissatisfaction.
Thestudyplacesastrongfocusonanalyzinghowtheperceptionvariesbetweengenders,withindifferentincome
groups,educationalbackgroundsandbetweenthosewhohavelivedabroadandthosewhohavent.Consequently,
theoverallfindingsoftheperceptionsurveyindicatethatfoodsafety,whichreferstotheexposuretoadulterated
andchemicallycontaminatedfoodsubstances,rankedthehighestintermsofdegreeofdispleasureofthe
respondents.Thesecondmostdispleasingfeaturewaslawandorderwhichreferstocrimeratesandmaintenance
ofthelawandlivingcost,whichreferstothecostsoflivingandpricesofnecessarygoods,isranked3rdintermsof
undesirability.Instratawiseanalysisofthefindings,itwasevidentthatwhilefoodsafetytoppedthelistforbothmen
andwomen,their2ndmostdispleasingfeaturedifferedformen,itwaslivingcostandforwomen,itwaslawand
order.Similarly,itwasseenthatlowincomegroupsfoundlivingcost,foodsafetyandwater/gascrisistobetheirtop
threecausesofdispleasurewhilethehighincomegroupsfoundfoodsafety,lawandorderandtrafficcongestiontobe
mostdispleasing.Acrosseducationalbackgroundstherewasacorrelationintheresultsbeofthelowincomegroups
andthosewitheducationalbackgroundsuptoSSCwhilethereweresimilaritiesintheresultsofthehighincome
groupstothosewhohadcompletedHSCorabove.Forthewellbeingoftheeconomy,theseproblemsneedtobe
identified,dealtwithandappropriatemeasuresmustbetakentoresolvethem.

1)Introduction
AccordingtotheGlobalLiveabilityRankingandReportAugust2014publishedbyTheEconomistIntelligenceUnit,
Dhakahasbeenratedasthe2ndleastliveablecityinasurveyofliveabilityof140cities.Althoughtheremightbe
reasonabledoubtsaboutwhetherDhakafaressohorriblyamongtheglobalcities,asclaimedbytheEIUsreport,it
shouldnotcomeasamajorshocktomostresidentsofDhakagiventhehostoftroublesomeconditionstheyfaceas
theygoabouttheirdailylives.Nomatterwhereonelives,anycitizenofDhakaappearstohaveaseriesoftalesto
shareabouthisorhersufferings,suchastrafficcongestion,waterorgascrisis,crimeincidents,whilelivinginthiscity.
AsDhakagrowsataneverincreasingpace,forcesofchangearebeingunleashedonnumerousfrontsincluding
demographic,environmentalandeconomic.And,asshownbyoursurvey,thesealongwithahordeofotherissues
(waterandgascrisis,foodsafety,)thatareofmuchsignificancealsoplaytheirpartinmakingDhakaandispleasing

placetolive.Asidefromtalkingpolitics,thehottesttopicsofmostgatheringsinvolvediscussionsofdramatictailbacks,
inadequateroadinfrastructure,andviolationoflawandorderinthecity.Itisimpossibletodenythaturbandesign,
openspaces,healthcareandeducationareallessentialelementsinacitysliveability.Butthenagain,oursurvey
clearlyshowsthatfewissuesareasimportanttourbanresidentsasgettingfrompointAtopointBandbackagain.

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FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity
Accordingly,firstonthelistofunderlyingissues,istheenormousamountoftimethattheaverageresidenthasto
spendcommutingtowork,runningeverydayerrands,ortryingtogetfromonepointofthecitytoanother.Withouta
shadowofadoubt,thecitystrafficproblemsgiverisetomanynegativeconsequencesfortheresidents.Thetimelost
incommutingleadstoeconomiclosses.Sabet(2013)saysastudyconductedbytheRoadsandHighwaysDepartment
attemptedtoquantifytheeconomiccostoftrafficcongestionsbyestimatingexcessfuelburnt,revenuelostby
transportoperators,environmentaldamage,andthecostoftrafficaccidentsandconcludedthatDhakastraffic
problemcostsTk19,555croreayear(approximatelyUS$2.5billion).Secondly,trafficcongestionalsoaggravatesair
andnoisepollution,whichfallsunderoneoftheworstlivingfeaturesofDhakaCity.Buttrafficorairandnoise
pollutionarenottheleastoftheworriesoftheaverageresidentofDhaka.Inordertosurviveinthiscity,problems
suchasfoodsafetyandhighcostsoflivingarecommonenemiestobattlewith.
MuchofthedetrimentallivingconditionsofDhakamaybeattributedtoitsalarminglyhighpopulationaswellasthe
largepopulationdensity.Accordingto(RISE:ResearchInitiativeforSocialEquity,March,2013),Dhakas14.6million
peopleliveinjust125squaremiles(325squarekilometers)whichtranslatestomorethan115,000peoplepersquare
mileor45,000persquarekilometer.Thosefiguresreflecttheimportantrolethehighpopulationdensityplaysinthe
unpleasantlivingconditionsofDhaka.(RISE,2013)alsostatesthatDhakaalongwithhavingthehighestaverageurban
densityalsohassomeofthehighestneighborhooddensities.Someslum(shantytown)populationdensitiesreach
4,200peracre,whichconvertstomorethan2,500,000persquaremileormorethan1,000,000persquarekilometer.
Suchhighlevelspopulationleadstoovercrowdingandspatialconstraintnotjustinresidentialareasbutalsoonthe
roads.
Furthermore,thehighpopulationdensityalsocausesscarcityofavailableresourcesrelativetothenumberofpeople,
thusleadingtosignificantlyworselivingconditionsaspeoplesufferfromshortageofbasicnecessitiessuchasfood,
water,cookinggas,electricity,etc.AccordingtoHossain,Ayon,HaqueandRoni(2012),datainreportpublishedbythe
WorldBankin2007showedtheannualgrowthrateofBangladeshspopulationwas1.8percentperyearbetween
1998and2005butDhakaspopulationhadincreasedatanastonishingaverageannualrateof9.1percentsince1999.
Thisfigurewasactuallyslightlyhigherthananticipatedatappraisal.Inaddition,shortageofconsumergoodsfuelshigh
priceswhichthencauseslivingcoststoflareup.Asaresult,themillionswhocometoDhakalookingforbetter
opportunitiesfortheirsurvivalenduphavingtobattlethesehorrificlivingconditionswhileaddingtothewoesofthe
city.
Whiledesigningoursurveyquestionnaire,theelementsconstitutingourlistofoptionsweremostlytakenbyreferring
theEconomistIntelligenceUnitsGlobalLivabilityRankingandReport.However,wechosetomakecertainalterations
inordertohighlightthoseissueswhichwereofgreatersignificancetoresidentsofDhaka.Ofthetenfeatureslistedin
theEIUsreport,wechosetoexcludeaccesstoqualityhealthcare,accesstodecentchildcareandeducation,rangeof
shopsandstores.Wealsomergedtwocategoriesparks&accesstoopenspacesandculture,nightlife,sporting
facilitiesintoonesinglefeaturenamedrecreationwhichreferredtoaccesstorecreationalfacilities.The
predominantreasonforexcludingaccesstohealthcareandaccesstoeducationwasthefactthatthebesthealthcare
andeducationservicesinBangladesharefoundinthecapitaldespitetheirstandardsnotbeinguptotheglobalmark
hencecitizensofDhakamightlookatthequalityofthesefacilitiesonanational,ratherthanaglobalscale.

2)Objective
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FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity
Incarryingoutthisresearch,ourpurposewastodiscoverwhich,outoftenselectedfeaturesisthemostprominent
featurethatmakesDhakacitysuchandispleasingplacetoliveinbyusingtheperceptionofitsresidents.Our
researchobjectivewastoasktheresidentstorankthoseelectedfeaturesinrelativelyincreasingorderofdispleasure
accordingtotheirownperception.Wealsoaimedtoidentifyanyotherpossiblysignificantfactorsthatwerenot
enlistedamongthoseten,whichmaycontributetodifficultyanddispleasureoflivinginDhaka,accordingtothe
opinionoftheresidents.

3)MethodologyandLimitations

ThemainobjectiveofthispaperwastoranktheleastdesirabletraitsofDhakacitybasedontheperceptionofits
residents.Forthispurposeasurveyquestionnairewasformulatedandadministeredtoasampleof212respondents
fromthe28thAugustto10thSeptember.
Thesampleisinclusiveof122maleand90femalerespondentsresidingintotaltengroupedareasofDhakacity.The
twobroadincomegroupswhichweretargetedforthispaperarea)MiddleHighincomegroupb)Lowincomegroup.
Thesetwogroupshosteightsubcategorieswhicharedividedaccordingtooccupation/income,theyare1)Students2)
Lowincomeserviceoriented3)Teachers4)Domesticworkers5)Lowincomenonserviceoriented6)RMGworkers7)
Professionalsand8)Homemakers.
Todeterminewhichcriteriaareleastdesirableforcityliving,literaturewhichexaminestheissueoflivablecitiesand
whatresidentswantfromtheircitieswerereviewed.Theinitiallistof10leastdesirablequalities,asdeemed
appropriateforDhakabytheauthors,wascompressedbygroupingandcombiningrelatedcriteriatogetherunder
singleheads.
Hence,10differentdispleasingqualitiesofDhakacitythatwerelistedforthesurveyquestionnaireare,
1)TrafficCongestionreferstothelengthytailbacksandoccupiedroadsbyinappropriatelyparkedcars
2)LawandOrderwhichreferstothelackofsecurity,highcrimeratesanddisregardforthelaw
3)PublicTransportwhichrefersavailabilityandqualityofservice
4)PollutionandSolidWasteManagementwhichindicatesthelackofpropersolidwastedisposalfacilitiesand
subsequentpollutionaswellaspollutantsfromothersources
5)FoodSafetywhichreferstotheexposuretoadulteratedandchemicallycontaminatedfoodsubstances
6)Recreationindicatesthelackoffacilitiesforrecreationalactivitiessuchaspublicparksandplaygrounds
7)LoadShedding
8)LivingCostwhichreferstothecostsoflivingandhighpricesofnecessities

9)UnplannedUrbanizationwhichreferstothelayoutofthecity,poordrainagesystemandpedestrianfacilities
10)WaterandGasCrisis.
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FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity
Thesamplewascollectedfromtendifferentareagroupsinthefollowingmanner:
code area
1 Gulshan,Banani,Baridhara,Niketon
2 DOHS(banana/baridhara/mohakhali),Dhakacantonment,Kurmitola
3 Uttora,Gazipur,tongi
4 Dhanmondi,elephantroad,kawranbazar,kathalbagan,panthapath,shahbag,rajabazar,shonkor,hatirpool
5 Bailyroad,banglamotor,eskaton,moghbazar,motijheel,rajarbagh,shahjahanpur
6 Mohammadpur,shyamoli
7 Badda,norda,notunbazar,rampura,shahjadpur,bashundhara
8 Azimpur,oldDhaka,tenarimore
9 Mohakhali,korail,tnt,tbgate,tejgaon,nakhalpara
10 Mirpur,shewrapara,kochukhet,bhashantek,kafrul
Table3.1:Areascovered

Themethodofanalytichierarchyprocesswasusedtodeterminetherankingoftheleastdesirablefeatures.The
respondentswereaskedtousepairwisecomparisontogiverelativeweightstoonequalityoveranother,using
judgmentstodeterminetherankingbetweeneach.Theeigenvectorsolutionofthepairwisematrixshowstheranking
ofthequalities,whichistherelativerankingofalternatives.
Thestudyplacedastrongfocusonanalyzinghowtheperceptionvariesbetweengenders,withindifferentincome
groups,educationalbackgroundsandbetweenthosewhohavelivedabroadandthosewhohavent.

Theinitialsurveywasformulatedwithfifteenqualities,duringthetestingperioditwasclearthatrespondentsbecame
easilyannoyedandwereunwillingtocompletethequestionnairewithsuchalonglist.Evenafterrestrictingthe
numberofcriteriatoten,thisproblempersistedandrespondentscomplainedthatthetaskwastedious.

Duetoresourceandtimeconstraintenoughdatacouldnotbecollectedforlocationofresidence,makingthestratified
sampledisproportionatetothepopulationofthestudy.

4)OverallFindings:
Asidefromthepairwisecomparisons,respondentswereaskedtoanswerthreeadditionalquestionsattheendofthe
survey,oneofwhichwaswhetheranythingwasmissingfromthelistandtospecifyiftheiranswerwasyes.70%found
thelistoffeaturesexhaustiveandhadnothingtoaddtoitwhile30%oftherespondentsfeltthelistwasinadequatein
somemanner.Fromthelattergroup,threeissuesweremostpredominant(i)thelackofaccesstoqualityeducation
(ii)thequalityandaffordabilityofhealthcareservices(iii)populationdensity

Thefollowingbarcharthighlightstheoverallfindingsofthesurvey:
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FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity

Results
foodsafety

law&order

livingcost

unplannedurbanisation

traffic

water&gascrisis

pollution&solidwstmgt

publictransport

loadshedding

recreation

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Degreeofdissatisfaction

Fig5.1:showsoverallfindings

Asshownbythegraphinfigure5.2,theresultsoftheperceptionsurveyindicatethatfoodsafetyrankedthehighest
intermsofdegreeofdispleasureoftherespondents.AccordingtoHasib(2014)nearly40percentof82samplesof
milkandmilkproducts,fish,fruitsandvegetablesfullofbannedDDT,Aldrin,Chlordane,Heptachlorandotherswere
foundbyTheNationalFoodSafetyLaboratoryopenedOct2012attheInstituteofPublicHealth.Suchpesticidesare
presentat3to20timesthelimitssetbytheEuropeanUnion,accordingtothesummaryofthelabfindings.Ofthe
testedvegetables,50percentwerefoundcontaminatedwiththosepesticideswhileitwas35percentofthetested
fruits.Also,accordingtoBasharandSiddiki(2014),astudybyBangladeshFisheriesResearchInstitutefound10types
and50categoriesofchemicalsbeingusedinfishfarmsacrossthecountrywhichincludeantibiotics,insecticidesand
growthagents.
Thesecondmostdispleasingfeaturewaslawandorderwhichreferstotheincreasingrateofcrimeanddisregardfor
lawa.Outofallthecrimesrecordedbythesixmetropolitanpolices,theDhakaMetropolitanPoliceshares70.48%of
totalcrimesrecordedduringtheperiod20082012.Ofthese,themostcommonlyreportedcrimeandviolencearetoll
collection,robberyandburglary,gangviolence,drugaddiction,landgrabbing,violenceagainstwomenandchildren,
illegalpossessionanduseoffirearms,illicittraffickinginwomenandchildren,murderandkidnapping.Someserious

crimeslikehijackingandbombthrowinghavealladdedanewdimensiontotheproblemsofcriminaladministration
whiledrugaddictionisalsooftenlinkedtogrowingcrimeandviolence(Rahman,n.d.)
 8
FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity
InanopinioneditorialfeaturedintheDhakaCouriertitledWomensSafety:GhostsontheProwl,theauthor
describesthedifferentproblemsfacedbywomeninBangladeshinbothurbanDhakaandruralsetting.Accordingto
him,alargenumberofwomeninBangladeshdonotfeelsafewhilemovingonthestreetsalone.Heclaimslewd
comments,molestation,sexualharassmentandevenrapearecommonoccurrencesandthisisduetothe
deterioratinglawandordersituation.However,actsofviolenceagainstwomenoccurmoreinruralareasthantheydo
inurbanareas.Insupportofhisclaims,theauthorprovidesafewcaseswhichattractedmuchpublicattentioninthe
1990s(suchastheYasminMurdercase1995andBadhancase1999),alongwiththeexperiencesoffemalegarment
workerswhofacesexualharassmentbothathomeandtheworkplace.AccordingtotheWorldBank,Violenceagainst
womenwasrepeatedlyraisedduringFGDsandthequalitativefieldworkasoneofthemostseriousmanifestationsof
violenceaffectingpoorwomeninDhaka.Thisincludesphysicalandpsychologicalviolenceinflictedbythehusbandor
thehusbandsfamily(thelatteroftendowryrelated),burningofwives,acidattacks,suicideasaresultofphysicaland
psychologicaltorture,aswellasviolenceagainstwomenintheworkplace,onthewaytoandfromwork,etc.Ofour
totalsample(about50percentfemalerespondents),30percentsaidtohavebeenavictimofdomesticviolenceinthe
past12monthsinfactitwasthehighestreportedincidenceofcrimeorviolencereportedinthesurvey.Thisislikely
stillsignificantlyunderreportedasthiswasnotaspecializeddomesticviolencesurvey.

Similarly,Livingcostwasranked3rdintermsofdispleasure.Inlinewiththisperception,inasurveyconductedbyan
Americanhumanresourceconsultancyfirm,Mercer,Dhakawasrankedasthemostexpensivecityforexpatriatesin
SouthAsia.Itwasplacedat117ofMercer's2014CostofLivingRankings,anincreasein37spotsfromlastyeardueto
alargeincreaseinaccommodationcostandastrongerlocalcurrency.Thecostoflivingcanbereflectedbytherateof
inflation,whichhoversaround6.5to7.5percent.Itcanalsobemeasuredthroughfoodinflation,whichhasbeenclose
tothe7.9marksincethestartof2014.Thehighpricesoffoodcoupledwithhighrentandtransportfaresplaceagreat
burdenontheaveragecitizenwhichplaysanessentialinplacingthisfeatureatsuchahighspotintherankings.

Anothersignificantvariable,Trafficcongestion,whichcouldbeconsideredtobeoneofthemostfrustratingaspectsof
DhakaCity,places5thinthelistdespitethefactthatitbearssignificantfinancialcostsaswellastheopportunitycost
oftimelostincommuting.Trafficcongestioncausessubstantiallossesfortheeconomyaswellasmentalandphysical
discomforttothecommuters.Faultytrafficsignalingsystemsandnarrowroadspacesaswellasinappropriately
parkedvehiclesontheroadscreatesustainedtrafficcongestionsthatescalatesufferingsofcommuters.Thebasic
problemofthecity'strafficsystemisthattheexistingroadnetworkisincapableofholdingtheeverincreasingnumber
ofmotorvehicles.Thus,thesolutionliesnotintheinstallationofelectronicsignalsorincreaseinthenumberoftraffic
police.Theeffectiveuseofthetwomightprovidesometemporaryreliefbutnotapermanentsolution.Some
alternativessuchaselevatedexpressways,subwaysandmultilayerflyoveracrossthecityholdthekeytosolvingthe
problem.(Mahmud,GopeandChowdhury,2012).ItwasexpectedthatTrafficCongestionandPublicTransportwould
behigherintherankingofmostdispleasingfeaturesoflivinginDhaka.However,ascanbeobservedfromtheoverall
findings,thesetwofeaturesachievedamoderateplaceintherankings.Mostresidentsbelievedthattheintensityof

 9
FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity
theproblemsthatrankedinthetop3wasmuchgreaterthanthepersistentissueoftrafficcongestionorunavailability
ofqualitypublictransportsinceaccesstosafefood,affordablelivingcostsandwellmaintainedlawandorderarebasic
necessities.
Table5.1:showstheoverallscores.Themeanvaluereferstothedegreeofdissatisfaction.Fig5.1graphstheseresult

Standard Standard Sample

Rank Feature Mean Error Median Mode Deviation Variance Kurtosis Skewness Range
1 foodsafety 6.6773 0.21282 6.722157 10 2.9795 8.8775 1.1561 0.3675 9
2 law&order 5.9937 0.20944 6.188483 10 2.9322 8.5980 1.2300 0.0754 9
3 livingcost 5.8790 0.23464 5.95943 10 3.2850 10.7916 1.5160 0.0389 9
unplanned
4 urbanisation 4.9082 0.19881 4.214584 10 2.7833 7.7470 0.8167 0.4712 9
5 traffic 4.5671 0.19709 3.741829 10 2.7592 7.6135 0.5998 0.7174 9
water&gas
6 crisis 4.5319 0.19478 4.089348 1 2.7270 7.4365 0.9472 0.4256 9
pollution&solid
7 wastemgt 4.4236 0.16166 4.04963 10 2.2633 5.1227 0.0543 0.7580 9
public
8 transport 3.8529 0.15997 3.305778 1 2.2396 5.0161 0.4895 0.9913 9
9 loadshedding3.4990 0.15866 3.060643 1 2.2213 4.9343 0.8086 1.0747 9
10 recreation 2.0083 0.11808 1.112933 1 1.6531 2.7328 6.7546 2.3934 9
5.1)Stratawisefinding
Genderwisecomparison

rank feature meanscore SD rank feature meanscore SD

1 foodsafety 6.576938873 3.015288 1 foodsafety 6.84291182 2.932425

2 livingcost 5.931598208 3.194427 2 law&order 6.14633596 2.968539

3 law&order 5.901252298 2.918384 3 livingcost 5.79246576 3.449728
unplanned water&gas
4 urbanization 5.163758155 2.764786 4 crisis 4.55406431 2.834914
traffic unplanned
5 congestion 4.976535888 2.893379 5 urbanisation 4.4869335 2.781167
pollutionand
water&gas solidwaste
6 crisis 4.51851414 2.671226 6 mgt 4.355708 2.297798
pollution&solid
7 wastemgt 4.464799665 2.25074 7 loadshedding 3.91081183 2.330726
public traffic
8 transport 3.95896587 2.388758 8 congestion 3.89213043 2.391499
public
9 loadshedding 3.249262513 2.123237 9 transport 3.67824349 1.972685
10 recreation 2.0449088 1.634436 10 recreation 1.94819119 1.693022
MaleFemale

Table5.1.1:Genderwiseindividualscores

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FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity

TheFig.5.1.1(seeappendix)highlightstheanalysisofresultswhencomparedbetweenmaleandfemalerespondents.Whileboth
groupsplacedFoodSafetyasthemostdispleasingfeature,femalesfoundLawandOrdertobethe2ndmostdispleasing
featurebutamongthemalerespondentgroup,LivingCostranked2nd.ThiscouldhighlightthatinBangladeshtraditionallythe
socialnormshaveledthemalestotakeuptheresponsibilityoflivingexpenses,althoughmorewomenarenowbeginningtogo
towork.However,asmoremenareparticipatinginthelabourforceandareearninganincome,theyaremorelikelytobeaware
ofthegravityofthesituationofsoaringlivingcost.Womenwhodogetoutoftheirhomesforeducationorworkalsofacethreats
totheirsafetyandsecurity,suchasincidentsofeveteasing;henceitcouldleadthemtoattachgreaterimportancetothe
problemoflawandorder.

TounderstandtheimportanceattachedtothecategoryLawandOrderbyfemalerespondentsweneedtolookattheproblems
facedbywomenintheurbanandcountrywidesetting.Alotoflocalandinternationalopeds,analysisbyglobalorganizationsuch
asWorldBankandtheUnitedNationshavefeaturedthestruggleforgenderequalityinBangladesh.Thespecialrapporteurtothe
UnitedNations,RashidaManjoo,saidviolenceagainstwomen,despiteinitiativestakenbythegovernmenttoimprovethe
conditions,womenremainmarginalized,discriminatedagainstandathighriskofbeingsubjectedtoviolence.Accordingto
Manjoo,manyformsofsexualharassmentarewidespreadinthecountry.Shederivesthisnotionfromstatementsofher
intervieweeswhosay,Girlsareregularlyabusedorharassedinschoolorontheirwaytoschool.Sexualharassmentisalso
commonplaceinvariousworkingenvironmentsandissometimesjustifiedasbeingpartoftheculture,bybothStateandnon
Stateactors.TheUNrapporteuradds,Inadditiontotheirlowsocialandculturalstatus,thepersistenceofpatriarchaland
harmfulpractices,suchasthepaymentofdowry,alsonegativelyimpactwomensenjoymentoftheirsocialrightsandincrease
theirriskofexperiencingviolence.

Asignificantdeviationthatwasobservedwasthatthemaleandfemalegroupsdifferedintheirrankingoftrafficcongestionas
malesrankedita4thplacewhilefemalesrankeditat8thplace.Thiscouldbeduetomenbeingmoreexposedtocommutingand
havinggreaterneedformobility.

Individualscoresofdegreeofdispleasurearegivenintable5.1.1.

Comparisonbylevelofeducation:
InFig5.1.2(Appendix),thegraphreflectsthescenariobetweendifferenteducationgroups.Amonggroup1(below
primaryeducation)andgroup2(completedprimaryeducation)respondentsplacedLivingCosthighestintermsof
degreeofdispleasureandFoodSafetyplaced2ndwhileWaterandGasCrisisplaced3rd.Thereisaslightdifference
whenitcomesto4thplaceasGroup1ratesLawandOrderinthatpositionwhileforgroup2,itisUnplanned
Organization.AcrossGroups3,4and5,FoodSafetyisrankedhighestintermsofdegreeofdispleasurebutgroup3
ratesLivingCostas2ndmostdispleasingbutforthe4thand5thgroups,LawandOrderisamoredispleasingthusit
ranks2nd.
WhileitwasexpectedthatTrafficcongestionwouldbeplacedhigherintheorderofdispleasure,onlyGroups4and
5hadthisfeatureintheirtop5listofdispleasingfeatures.
Forreference,graphsforindividualgroupshavebeenprovidedintheAppendix.

Comparingthosewholivedabroadwiththosewhodidnot:
 11
FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity
Whencomparingbetweengroupsintermsofwhethertheyhavelivedabroadfor6monthsormore,5.1.8(Appendix),
thegraphreflectstheresults.RespondentsthatansweredYestothequestion,rankedLawandOrderasthemost
displeasingatagreaterdegreethanthegroupthatsaidNo.Similarly,asignificantdeviationcanbeseenintheway
thetwogroupsperceivedthedegreeofdispleasureofLivingCost,anoccurrencethatmaybeexplainedbythefact
thathigherincomegroupsarelikelytobeexposedtolivingabroadduetobusiness,educationorvacationtripsand
alsosinceforeigntripswouldbemoreaffordabletohighincomeearners.Furthermore,itisbeplausiblethatmostof
respondentswhoansweredyeslivedinexpensivecitiesofdevelopedcountrieswithsignificantlyhighercostofliving
comparedtothatinDhaka.
Thefollowingtableprovidesadetailedscoreoftherankings:
Table5.1.2

feature livedabroad didnotliveabroad

meanscore SD meanscore SD
law&order 6.813795401 3.055646 5.72783421 2.85122
foodsafety 6.162360985 2.707216 6.84438304 3.052598
unplannedurbanisation 5.395026283 2.731783 4.75033995 2.790738
livingcost 4.78400431 3.326877 6.2342246 3.202822
pollution&solidwaste 4.624521269 2.374489 4.35845223 2.230559
trafficcongestion 4.297425079 2.597624 4.65458531 2.812602
publictransport 4.078618719 2.219279 3.77979835 2.24886
water&gascrisis 4.04659829 2.369274 4.68934302 2.822798
loadshedding 3.486373697 2.571075 3.50313625 2.105224
recreation 2.270370484 1.908626 1.92342729 1.559114

Comparisonbyincomegroup:

Whencomparingbetweenincomegroups(1:lowincomeand2:middle&highincome),asshowninFig
5.1.9(Appendix),therearesignificantanomalies.WhilethelowincomegroupplacesLivingCostasthemost
displeasingfeature,followedbyfoodsafetyandWater/gascrisis,themiddleandhighincomegroupplacesLaw
andOrderasthe1stdispleasingfeature,followedbyFoodSafetyandTrafficCongestion.Itisunsurprisingthatlow
incomegroupsrankedlivingcostandwater&gascrisissohighlysincewiththeirlevelofincomeitisdifficulttomeet
expensesandthehousingthattheycanaffordhappenstobeinareaswhereproblemsofwater&gascrisispersists.
Mostsignificantly,lowincomegroupsattachedamuchlowerratingtoLawAndOrderwhichcouldbeduetothere
beingproblemsofgreatersignificancethattheyexperienceandalsoduetoalackofawareness.Anotherinteresting
disparitywasintheperceptionoftrafficcongestion,whichwasratedrelativelyhigherbythemiddle&highincome
group.Thismaybeduetothefactthatlowincomegroupsaremoreusedtotravellingbyfootorbicycleswhile
middle&highincomegroupstravelbymotorvehiclesanddonothesitateincommutingtolongerdistancesforworkor
schoolhencethelowincomegroupfacesthisproblemtoalowerextent.Therewasalsodifferenceintheratingof
publictransportbythetwogroups.Thelowincomegroupsattachedalowerratingtothisissue,perhapsbecausethey

 12
FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity

havelowerexpectationsforstandardsofpublictransportandarecontentwiththelevelavailablewhilemiddle&high
incomegroupsexpecthigherstandardsbecausetheyareawareofglobalstandardsofpublictransport.
Itwasalsoobservedthatthereweresimilaritiesinthewaylowincomeearnersandthosewitheducational
qualificationwithSSCorbelowperceivedtheseproblemswhilehighincomeearnersandthosewithHSCorabove
qualifiedsharedasimilarperceptionwhenitcametorankingtheirmostdispleasingfeatures.
Amultivariateanalysisofincomegroupswithmaleandfemalegroupswascarriedoutforthepurposeofinvestigationwhichis
showninFig5.1.10&Fig5.1.11(Appendix).Theanalysisshowsthatamongmiddleandhighincomeearners,bothmaleand
femalegroupsrankedlaw&orderandfoodsafetyastheirtop2mostdispleasingfeatures.Itwasalsoobservedthatacrossall
variables,therankingsweremuchthesameforbothmaleandfemalegroups.However,itwasseenthatmalesattachedahigher
ratingfortraffic,unplannedurbanizationandpublictransportthanfemaleswhichmaybeexplainedbythefactthatin
Bangladesh,theratioofmenwhoareinemploymentisgreaterthanwomen.Asaresult,menaremorelikelytobeexposedto
situationswhichhighlighttheseissuesintheireverydaylifeduetomoremobility.Whenanalyzinglowincomegroupagainst
gendergroups,itwasobservedthatresidentsofthisgrouprankedlivingcostasthemostdiscomfortingfollowedbyfoodsafety.
Howeverwomenattachedaslightlyhigherratingtolivingcostthanmenwhichmaybeduetotherebeingmorejob
opportunitiesformenandtheexistenceofdiscriminationinwages.Womenattachedasignificantlyhigherratingtowaterand
gascrisisthanmenofthesameincomegroupaswellaswomenofmiddle&highincomegroupwhichmightbebecausewomenin
lowincomegrouparemorepronetoengagingincookinganddomesticchoreshencetheyexperiencethisproblemclosely.

Thefollowingtableprovidesadetailedscoreoftherankingsbyincomegroup:

feature middle&highincome lowincome

meanscore SD meanscore SD
law&order 6.755500655 2.864877 4.591783454 2.523858
foodsafety 6.459480772 2.919064 7.078376218 3.068719
trafficcongestion 5.099029884 2.845989 3.588090364 2.307328
unplannedurbanisation 5.090847199 2.903167 4.572086659 2.534088
livingcost 4.804764215 3.074993 7.856411483 2.70241
pollution&solidwaste 4.491025539 2.307533 4.299531995 2.190862
water&gascrisis 4.188581793 2.555705 5.163907195 2.93211
publictransport 4.118184866 2.410108 3.364846041 1.802345
loadshedding 3.670696071 2.407387 3.183068133 1.804138
recreation 2.096629322 1.779819 1.845986922 1.387781

Table5.1.3:showsindividualscoresbyincomegroup

Thefollowingtablesshowindividualscoresofincomegroupswhenanalysedagainstgender:

 13
FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity
male female
law&order 7.012954 6.439329
foodsafety 6.167813 6.817669
traffic 5.715783 4.341614
unplanned
urbanisation 5.257115 4.886659
livingcost 4.795486 4.816159
publictransport 4.432797 3.731818
water&gascrisis 4.423066 3.900619
pollution&solidwaste 4.413915 4.585722
loadshedding 3.575043 3.788165
recreation 2.101926 2.090125


Table5.1.4showsindividualscoreofmiddle&highincomeearnersclassifiedbygender.

male female
livingcost 7.45422 8.995954
foodsafety 7.193561 6.752019
unplannedurbanisation 4.940793 3.527418
pollution&solidwaste 4.58237 3.498157
water&gascrisis 4.570989 6.843842
law&order 4.47149 4.932616
traffic 3.961905 2.528948
publictransport 3.353223 3.397779
loadshedding 2.738016 4.444048
recreation 1.894976 1.707183
Table5.1.5showsindividualscoreoflowincomegroupagainstgender.

AnotherquestionposedattheendofthesurveyaskedrespondentsiftheywouldliketomoveoutofDhakacity,given
theopportunityandassumingtheabilitytosustainsimilarpurchasingpower.Migrationherecouldbeusedtodescribe
movingtoforeigncountriesortootherdistrictsofBangladesh.Despitetheexistenceofsuchprevailingissuesand
achievingthelowestrankingintheLivabilityIndex,33%oftherespondentswouldnotmoveoutDhakawhile7%
remainedunsure.Awhopping60%quiteunderstandablyansweredYestothequestion.

Conclusion:
ThisstudybringstolightthefeaturesoflivingthataremostunsatisfactoryfortheresidentsofDhakaanditcould
provideindicationstowardsthepredominantfactorsthathaveaidedincreatingthemajordissatisfactionofthe
citizensaswellasthedismalperformanceofthecityontheGlobalLivabilityIndex2014.Theresultspointoutthatlack
offoodsafety,highlivingcostsandthestateoflawandorderprovetobeofmostdiscomfortforthecitizens.Further

analysisofthereasonsbehindtheextentoftheseproblemscouldbecarriedoutandtheauthoritiesmustbeurgedto
dealwiththeseissuesbytakingappropriatemeasuressothatlivingconditionsinthecityareimproved.Dhaka,being
 14
FactorsFFacilitatingUn
ndesirableLivvingCondition
nsinDhakaCity
thecapitaloftheco
ountry,happenstobeth
hecommerciialandfinan ncialhuboftthecountry;henceitisoofgreat
importancetotheeeconomythaatthelivingcconditionsin
nthecityareesatisfactorry,ifnotsuperlative.

Appendix

Fig.5.1.1
1showsgend parison
derwisecomp
 15
FactorsFFacilitatingUn
ndesirableLivvingCondition
nsinDhakaCity

Fig5.1.2::Comparingggroupswithd
differentleve
elofeducatio
on

Fig5.1.3::Didnotgetprimaryeduccation
 16
FactorsFFacilitatingUn
ndesirableLivvingCondition
nsinDhakaCity

Fig5.1.4::Completedp
primaryeducaation

Fig5.1.5::CompletedSSSC/equivalent

Fig5.1.6::CompletedH
HSC/equivale
ent
 17
FactorsFFacilitatingUn
ndesirableLivvingCondition
nsinDhakaCity

Fig5.1.7::Haveatleasttagraduated
degree.

Fig5.1.8::livedabroad
dvsdidnotlivveabroad
 18
FactorsFFacilitatingUn
ndesirableLivvingCondition
nsinDhakaCity

Fig5.1.9::comparingb
byincomegro
oup

Fig5.1.10
0:comparingmiddle&high
hincomegrou
upagainstgeender
 19
FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity

Fig5.1.11:comparinglowincomegroupagainstgender

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FactorsFacilitatingUndesirableLivingConditionsinDhakaCity