To this extent, he argued that it makes it difficult for development planning and government interventions.
The don stated this at the kick-off meeting for a new project titled: ‘Integrated Deprived Area Mapping System’ in Kano on Saturday.
“This project attempts to produce a digital map of the city, with emphasis on informal areas. A study has revealed that 40 percent of the urban Kano, in terms of landmass is informal, which means, it is an area that is lacking in terms of planning.
“And you will notice that this 40 per cent constitutes 70 per cent of the population. This means 70 per cent of people living in Kano metropolis are living in those informal areas.
“Kano has a population of between 14 and 15 million, you can think of 70 per cent, which means about 10 million people are living in those informal areas, having no access to good roads, water, waste management and sanitation,” he explained.
In his capacity as a consultant and specialist in urban development, Dr Muhammad explained that when the database is created, those areas will be identified and their needs will be addressed, which will serve, as a guide to policymakers, regarding the basic needs of the community.
“Whosoever wants to intervene will know the exact needs of the respective communities, so that when any of such intervention comes, it will be in tune with the community,” he added.
Earlier, the leader of IDEAMAPS, Dr Peter Elias, said the project, funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is a 3-year project, which will run concurrently in Kano, Lagos and Nairobi, thr Kenyan capital.
“The project is about mapping slums and informal settlements, as these communities are not always captured in interventions. So when you are trying to intervene, or there is any hazard, without data, you can only base your actions on estimation. But with IDEAMAPS, we will bridge that gap by providing routine map data, so that those stakeholders can access the data about these communities to aid their planning,” Dr Elias added.
Furthermore, he pointed out that with information from partners in Kano, they can select some slum communities as representatives of all other slum communities, adding that they are just starting.
