YANGON, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is seeking solution for slum dwellers in populated Yangon where over 500,000 people are living in informal settlement areas.
A two-day workshop on slums and informal settlements in Yangon region, was jointly conducted by the regional government and the UN-Habitat (Myanmar), according to Department of Urban and Housing Development Wednesday.
As a possible short term solution, the regional government plans to arrange for low-cost housing zones and basic infrastructure, Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein told the workshop, emphasizing that the long-term solution will look at relocation for the most vulnerable slum dwellers.
A comprehensive mapping exercise, conducted by the UN Habitat in 2016, identified a total of 423 informal settlements in Yangon which spread over 1,800 acres (728.4 hectares), or 1.23 percent of Yangon's total land area, and house an estimated 365,000 people, or 8 percent of the city's total population.
