. According to a study, for instance, the slum population in Dhaka has doubled in a decade, to reach 3.4 million in 2006 from 1.5 million in 1996, and the number of slum communities increased about 70% (CUS et al. 2006). In contrast, between 1991 and 2005 population of Dhaka also increased significantly with an annual average growth of 5% which outpaced the country’s annual growth (BBS 2001; World Bank 2007). It is estimated that presently about 37% of the city’s population live in slums (CUS et al. 2006), and the environment of slum is extremely un ygienic as they are located at sites such as solid waste dumps, open drains and sewers, embankment and often along the rail line (UN-Habitat 2003). In addition, the people living in slums are extremely vulnerable to natural hazards such as floods (Rashid 2000).