As Dhaka residents were still recovering from a recent earthquake, a devastating fire ripped through Korail, the city’s largest and most densely populated slum. Fires here are tragically routine, but behind the ashes lies a hidden workforce that keeps affluent neighborhoods like Gulshan and Banani functioning.
On Tuesday (November 25) at around 5:22pm, the Fire Service received the first reports of the blaze. Nineteen firefighting units battled the fire for over five hours before bringing it under control late at night.
For Korail residents, fire is a familiar terror—unexpected yet recurring. It leaves behind ashes, tears, and wounds that never fully heal. For low-income families, fire is an invisible enemy that sweeps away everything they own. Causes remain largely unknown, making each incident a brutal blow to already fragile lives.
A slum at the heart of Dhaka
Korail, spread across nearly 90 acres amid the commercial and upscale zones of Mohakhali, Banani, and Gulshan, is home to tens of thousands. According to BRAC Urban Development Programme data, an estimated 70,000–80,000 people live here.
About 65% earn their livelihoods through day labor, driving, waste collection, garment work, rickshaw pulling, small shops, and street vending. Most working women are small shop owners, garment workers, or domestic workers in nearby affluent households.
Asma, a house-help in Banani, said: “I work in three apartments every day. I clean, cook, wash clothes, everything. My husband drives a rickshaw nearby. I earn about Tk4,700 a month. That money goes to rent, food, and my children’s school needs. The pay is low, but we have no choice.”
Mujib, another Korail resident and a security guard in Gulshan, shared his experience: “Most people in Korail work in this area. If we were not here, they would have to pay much more for the same services.”
The invisible workforce of wealthy neighborhoods
Behind the luxurious homes, clean streets, and comfortable lifestyle of Gulshan and Banani lies a hidden, essential labor network. Without Korail, daily life in these affluent areas would neither be smooth, affordable, nor functional.
Afiya Haque, a resident of Gulshan-2, said her daily life was disrupted after the fire. “Both of our house-helpers come from Korail. They couldn’t come for two days, and we struggled with cooking and cleaning. Even our driver lost everything in the fire. Suddenly we realized how much our daily life depends on people from Korail.”
Dr Rumana Haque, Professor of Economics at the University of Dhaka, told Dhaka Tribune that slum settlements are the “heart of Dhaka’s labor supply.” She explained, “Wealthier neighborhoods depend heavily on these areas. Without slums like Korail, Gulshan and Banani would have to import labor, which would be expensive and unrealistic.”
Dr Moshirur Rahman, Professor of Sociology at the University of Dhaka, described Korail as a key pillar of Dhaka’s informal economy. “Residents here provide essential services to Gulshan, Banani, and surrounding areas. They are not only house-helpers or guards, but also rickshaw pullers, van drivers, street vendors, and garment/service workers. The rich and poor neighborhoods are interconnected in invisible ways, and this connection maintains Dhaka’s economic and social balance.”
Lives on fire
Standing in front of her burnt-down shack, Shefali Khatun breaks down in tears. “I have no home now, everything is burned. But if I stop going to the houses in the rich areas to cook, how will we eat? I finished one household’s work and came back here. Now I have to go to another one.”
Fires occur in Korail two or three times a year. Modern urban planning prioritises secure housing and minimum spacing, but in Korail, an average of only 40–50 square feet per person is available. This extreme congestion not only creates a humanitarian crisis but also turns the area into a stage for recurring fires.
Every fire makes life in Korail even harder. Yet each disaster also reveals how deeply Gulshan and Banani rely on the labor flowing from this slum. The crisis in Korail quietly becomes a parallel crisis for Dhaka’s wealthiest neighborhoods.
“Every fire deepens Korail’s hardship. Yet with each disaster, the city is reminded of a hidden truth: the prosperity of Dhaka’s richest areas depends on the resilience of its poorest residents.”
