The chirping of bird might  or a cup of tea in the bed might be the wakeup call for many of the people in world but the stinking breeze from the river usually becomes the wake up call for many people living in slums and squatter near the river of Kathmandu and many other cities of the world. People in every part of the world owning a tenure right always have confidence that they are safe within the walls of their home but the slum and squatter dwellers always have to think if their wall will remain till evening for they continuously face the threat of eviction by the government.

On May 8, 2012 in a very early morning when an average city dweller was offering his prayers to god and wishing good morning to his peers and kin in the streets and houses of Kathmandu, people residing in the squatter of Thapathali were lamenting of government bulldogging their houses. Amidst the 2.6 million urban population of the Kathmandu (Central Bureau of Statistics [CBS], 2011) the above sentiments was lost in the polluted air and flushed in the dirty rivers of Kathmandu. But the emotions stayed with the people who faced it. Slums and squatters that are generally pronounced with hatred have a life in it and humans live there in a different condition than an average city dweller lives. 

Slums and squatters as observed by all are rugged and mismanaged, these are generally taken as a cause of environmental degradation and are claimed to degrade the aesthetic value of city and create visual distraction (Pokharel, 2011). However from environmental perspective slums are considered to be one of the major contributors for water polluting and a challenge for solid waste management (Aryal, 2010).  Meanwhile in different urban centres of Eastern World they are also the places which collect the waste of the city, segregate, people earn their livelihood and contribute in keeping the city clean. (Md. Munawar Chand, Grassroots leader- Bholakpur India, Personal communication).

During the eviction of squatter settlement at Thapathali 251 houses were demolished by mobilizing police and armed force (Government Evicts squatter in Thapathali, 2012). Quoting Bimala Tamang, the vice president of an alliance of five squatters, The Kathmandu Post (2013) wrote that government should be held responsible to manage the shelter for the homeless and after eviction most of those who were evicted had nowhere to go and nothing to eat. Many evicted people were preferring death to being evicted.

This is a real life scenario of the eviction of squatter in Kathmandu that took place in May 2012. People evicted from there were tried to resettle in Kirtipur however it could not take place due to protest from the locals now the people are bound to be homeless and live under the sky with no confirmation of ways to find  food or any other basic needs. This case was seen after squatter was evicted in Thapathali but there are many slums and squatters that are in threat of being evicted and there are many slum dwellers and squatters living in vulnerable condition around Kathmandu and globe (Bajracharya, 2012). Urban poverty has become the social stigma and it is very important to get rid of the stigma for the sustainability of city (Pokharel, 2013).

Meanwhile slums also have their own problems and obligations. The slums and squatters that are said to be degrading the aesthetic value and environment of city are also compelled to end up in slums and squatters due to some natural calamity, intra-human conflict or socio-economic conditions. Whether a person lives in a formal or legalized settlement or informal settlements he needs a healthy environment and minimum standard of infrastructure and services to survive. 

Are we ever going to respect their right to be part of the city when they have already settled in the city???