‘Beltola Lilies’ – A Solution of Housing for Lower Income People and Introduction of A Module for Flooded Areas

Abstract

The paper analyses the issues faced by a minuscule area of a slum habitat in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. The area of the slum worked upon, the “Beltola Bostee”1, faces major problems of frequent flooding when the households of the area become unfit to live in. Hence, the inhabitants of this area shift to share other households, overcrowding the already cramped living quarters. The idea of “Beltola Lilies” emerges as an attempt to resolve the problem and provide the best possible solution. The “Beltola Lilies” is conceived as a modular accommodation that stands on ground during the dry season, but floats on water during floods, providing the inhabitants a healthy, organised, productive and cost-effective solution for housing. Built with inexpensive and indigenous materials, requiring minimum effort in construction and maintenance, having low energy needs and being sufficiently livable, it promises to address and eradicate some of the current dwelling problems in the slums that exist all over the country.