Orangi town
According to United Nations, World Cities Report 2016, Orangi town is among the five largest slums in the world. Orangi town is located on northwest part of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It stretches out from the Paposh Nagar, North Nazimabad, and Khasba Hills. Khasba hills form the natural boundary between North Nazimabad Town and Orangi Town. The township has thirteen official neighborhoods, each governed by its Council which has allowed orangi town have its sewer system. Due to several development projects in the town only some parts are now referred to as a slum. Orangi town comprises of several ethnic groups, includes Bohras, Balochis, Ismailis, Memos, Muhajirs, Kashmiris, Pakhtuns, Punjabis, and Sindhis. Most of the Muhajirs are Biharis, migrates from Bihar in 1947 and East Pakistan in the year 1971. The town has an approximate population of 2.5 million on 8000 acres of land equivalent to 4500 Wembley football pitches, making it Asia largest slum (1). Its settlement population exploded in the early 1970s, after the 1971 war of independence when thousands of people migrated from East Pakistan to Orangi.
Orangi town came to limelight in the 1980s when the residents became frustrated with the municipal administration of developing the area, under the guidance of Akhtar Hameed Khan (6) they launched the Orangi Pilot Project. Under this project, the local community were able to build they own low-cost sewerage system. Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) did not spread their services to develop orange community.
One of the primary initiatives of orangi Pilot Project was to demand to KMC to install free sewage system that KMC refused. This made the local community makes their sewerage system since they could not live anymore in an area with poor sanitation and water sanitation and hygiene . KMC went further again not to connect the sewer to the existing city sewers because of orangi's illegal status (2). Due to various campaigns and protests by the orangi community, the matter attracted the world attention and KMC was forced to cooperate, and three other projects were set up in the squatter settlements near Sindh.
Akhtar Hammed Khan was a Pakistan social scientist and activist, who has contributed to the rural development through community projects in Pakistan and other developing countries. By 1993, Orangi Pilot Project had successfully managed to provide low-cost sewers to over 72000 households. The project later diversified to other community programs like provision of basic health, education programs, family planning program, housing program, low-cost sanitation and rural development program to its neighborhoods.
Lack of proper houses in Orangi town is also a major problem. Activists estimate that 60% of the total population lives in shanty houses. Due to support from Orangi Pilot Project and Non-governmental organizations, communities are now building two and three-room houses by use of concrete blocks manufactured locally. Each house can home 8 to 10 people. Micro businesses have emerged within the informal township creating livelihood to the residents. Orangi is a good example of a town built by the local community, now the residents consider orangi streets as their home because they have invested in them and that why they clean and maintain the sewers and water connections.