The third world countries are generally noted for ubiquitous informal settlements (slum communities) where a large number of urban residents live on the margins of precarious poverty, infrastructural decay and social deprivation. However, existing studies have largely glossed over individual community deprivations and allowed spatial heterogeneity to be masked by gross generalization. Using geospatial information systems (GIS) and slum deprivation index (SDI) this study described the residential and water deprivations of 15 selected slum communities in Lagos Nigeria. Based on residential conditions we found that majority of the residents lived in one-room apartments and in neighbourhoods with about 20 persons per dwelling. The residents were without access to improved drinking water, and lived in dwellings surrounded by solid waste piles. The slum deprivation index (SDI) indicated that residents experienced critical residential and environmental deprivation and water, sanitation and hygiene deprivation. The spatial autocorrelation transformation of these slum deprivation indices evidently showed that social deprivation was wide spread in Lagos slums with over two-third of the communities being highly deprived. We therefore suggest that urban stakeholders should be more focused on the highly deprived communities. The study has critical planning implications for urban management and sustainability.

人们普遍注意到，第三世界国家是无所不在的非正式定居点（贫民窟社区），那里大量的城市居民生活在不稳定的贫困，基础设施衰落和社会贫困的边缘。但是，现有研究在很大程度上掩盖了个体社区的匮乏，并允许总体概括掩盖了空间异质性。这项研究使用地理空间信息系统（GIS）和贫民窟剥夺指数（SDI），描述了尼日利亚拉各斯15个选定贫民窟社区的居住和缺水情况。根据居住条件，我们发现大多数居民住在一室公寓和每间房屋约有20人的社区中。居民无法获得改善的饮用水，居住在被固体废物堆包围的住宅中。贫民窟剥夺指数（SDI）表明，居民经历了严重的居住和环境剥夺以及水，卫生和卫生剥夺。这些贫民窟剥夺指数的空间自相关转换显然表明，社会剥夺在拉各斯贫民窟中广泛传播，超过三分之二的社区被高度剥夺。因此，我们建议城市利益相关者应更加关注高度贫困的社区。该研究对城市管理和可持续性具有重要的规划意义。这些贫民窟剥夺指数的空间自相关转换显然表明，社会剥夺在拉各斯贫民窟中广泛传播，超过三分之二的社区被高度剥夺。因此，我们建议城市利益相关者应更加关注高度贫困的社区。该研究对城市管理和可持续性具有重要的规划意义。这些贫民窟剥夺指数的空间自相关转换显然表明，社会剥夺在拉各斯贫民窟中广泛分布，超过三分之二的社区被高度剥夺。因此，我们建议城市利益相关者应更加关注高度贫困的社区。该研究对城市管理和可持续性具有重要的规划意义。