One of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slums dwellers, by 2020. The MDG target 11 set by Government of Pakistan to improve the lives of slum dwellers is to regulate the 95 percent of katchi abadis (identified by the cut-off date of 1985) by 2015. Along with it, under Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and Mid-term Development Framework (MTDF) the target was/is to regulate the 60 and 75 percent of katchi abadis by 2005-06 and 2009-10 respectively. To see the implications and prospects of these targets the paper probes the life in slums of Bahawalpur as a case study. In this data-based micro study we assess the situation of living conditions (potable water supply, sanitation, public utilities, sufficient living area, household with durable material), household characteristics (compositions, headship, type of employment and educational status, etc.) social safety nets (transfer payments and micro-finance), women labor force participation and their contribution, health and educational status of children and child labor.

To identify the slum areas, an operational definition of slums has been developed, that is slightly different in the part of water availability, sanitation and building material, from that given by UN-Habitat. In this way twelve clusters are taken as sample spreading over whole of the Bahawalpur city. The study provides a micro-view of the standard of living of slum households to the planners and policy makers along with policy proposals to frame the strategy for improvement of lives in slums. The study concludes that urban slums are the poorest in the urban community from a number of poverty perspectives. They represent poverty pocket and need targeted policies. The multi-pronged, short and medium term policies need attention in the areas of housing, education, health, sanitation and income generating activities. Most of all the social safety nets can play an important role. The district governments may act as identifying and implementing agencies.