Squatter settlements = an area of poor-quality housing, lack of amenities
○ eg/ water supply, sewage and electricity
■ Also known as informal settlements/slums/shanty towns
● Often develop spontaneously and illegally in LICs
● Mainly found on marshy, poorly drained land → where no one wants to build
● Workers come from rural Nigeria and build a basic shelter/house and get straight to work to make money
○ Rapid urbanisation has lead to an increase in slums in Lagos
● There is an immense lack of sanitation
Introduction to Makoko:
● Population of Makoko is estimated to be around a quarter of a million
● Most people make money in the informal economy and by fishing
○ Makoko origins as a fishing village outside Lagos → it got swallowed up by the urban areas
● The area is self governing and is protected by “Area Boys”
● Makoko is the home to the Makoko Floating School → has received global recognition
Problems in Makoko:
● Population = ¼ of a million
○ Densely populated → leads to shortages in land, food, water etc
● Is built on water → homes extend into water due to overcrowding
● Mostly immigrants
● Fishing is the main and only source of food/income
● Lack of basic sanitation/facilities → allow diseases to spread very easily
○ eg/ cholera, typhoid, dysentery
● Canal is used as a dump/toilet/rubbish ground
○ In case of flood → polluted water would go directly through the slums and affect all inhabitants
● May be demolished → more land to create buildings/industries on