urbanisation and its hazard

Urbanization refers to general increase in population and the amount of industrialization of a settlement. It includes increase in the number and extent of cities. It symbolizes the movement of people from rural to urban areas. Urbanization happens because of the increase in the extent and density of urban areas. The density of population in urban areas increases because of the migration of people from less industrialized regions to more industrialized areas. The concept “Urban Sprawl” means increase in spatial scale or increase in the peripheral area of cities. “Urban Sprawl” has its own drawbacks.
The city and its infrastructure may not be adequately planned.
Traffic is high with increased time needed for commuting.
Essential services are not reachable within time.
City administration becomes extremely difficult.
An excellent example of urban sprawl within our country is that of the city of Bangalore. After the establishment of IT industry in Bangalore, the population exploded from 24,76,355 in 1980 to 42,92,223 in 2001 with influx of 18 lakh immigrants within two decades. The growing population has increased pressure on several resources including civic amenities, residential availability, cost of living, local infrastructure, transport, traffic and administration. Bangalore has lost many if its water bodies (lakes) and consequently the fragile ecosystem has been disturbed due to the everincreasing need for space, to cater to residences and business establishments.
The last few decades have witnessed population explosion in cities across the world. While some cities have managed to put infrastructure in place to cope with the surge in city population, most have been unable to cope up.

Urbanisation is the phenomenon involving large scale migration of rural people to cities in search of better opportunities. The drawbacks associated with rural life including erratic monsoon and failure of crops which have led to many farmers committing suicide as they are unable to provide enough means for their family. Other reasons are the quality of life possible through education in good institutions available in the cities is not possible in rural areas.
Origin of Urbanisation

While the roots of urbanisation can be traced back to Renaissance times, it came to fore only during the Industrial revolution of 18th & 19th century. However, massive urbanisation has happened in the most populated continent of the world, Asia, only in 20th century. It is estimated that over 60% of the world’s population would be residing in cities of the world

Urbanization in the World Today

This table presents the increase in urbanization in the World. MEDC refers to Most Economically Developed Countries and LEDC to Least Economically Developed Countries. Today as compared to Asian and African countries, countries such as USA and UK have a higher urbanization level. Economic forces helped to locate factories and workers in cities. In USA 5% of the population lived in cities in 1800. By 1920 50% of the population lived in cities. In comparison only 17.8% of population of Third world societies lived in cities in 1950. But by 2000, the percentage had increased to 40%. By 2030, the percentage is predicted to increase to 60%. Australia is the most urbanized country in the world. Both the rate and level of urbanization in Australia are high.

Ill-effects of Urbanisation

So, what are the broad issues that arise as a result of urbanisation?

The increase in population leads to massive housing problems as most people who migrate to cities are unable to find an affordable place to stay. Ultimately, this results in creation of slums and occupying of streets. These slums are a breeding ground for various crimes. This is because people who have settled down are contractual labourers and hence do not have a permanent source of income. Hence, uneven income drives them to do illegal work through which they can earn a quick buck.

One of the biggest effects of urban agglomeration is that it increases the demand as well as consumption of water. The limited access to potable water has serious health hazards including water borne diseases which result in taking lives of millions of people including children. In addition to this, the migratory population also adds to the growth in urban traffic ultimately choking the transport system which was built taking into account a limited capacity.
CAUSES OF URBANIZATION
Urbanization usually occurs when people move from villages to cities to settle, in hope of a higher standard of living. This usually takes place in developing countries. In rural areas, people become victims of unpredictable weather conditions such as drought and floods, which can adversely affect their livelihood. Consequently many farmers move to cities in search of a better life. This can be seen in Karnataka as well where farmers from Raichur, Gulbarga districts which are drought-stricken areas, migrate to Bangalore to escape poverty. Cities in contrast, offer opportunities of high living and are known to be places where wealth and money are centralized. Most industries and educational institutions are located in cities whereas there are limited opportunities within rural areas. This further contributes to migration to cities.
Urbanization means the physical growth of urban areas by migration of people from rural areas to urban areas. A more technical definition is given by the United Nations as “Urbanization means movement of people from rural area to urban areas resulting population growth which is equal to urban migration.” In the above definition given by UN the key word is “movement”. Urbanization may occur for the following reasons. Economic reasons: - The urban areas offer better wage-labor opportunity than the rural areas due to the conglomeration of industrial and service sectors (primary and secondary economic activities). On the other hand the rural economic structure is waning because of a variety of reasons like: breakdown of jajmani system (in India), fragmentation of cultivation land, erratic monsoon and failure of crops etc. So the rural people head towards the urban areas to get employed as wage laborers in industries or construction sites or as maid servants (in case of females). Educational reasons: - The premium institutes of higher education’s are mainly located in the urban areas. So education results in migration to urban areas. Though on the surface it seems to be a temporary one but after education people don’t want to go back to the villages again and they settle in the urban areas for the lucrative job offers they provide. So the temporary migration becomes a permanent one.
Spatial mobility: - When the head of the family is employed in any organization in the urban area, it is seen in many cases his family accompanies him there. So this results in movement to urban areas. Reverse urbanization: - When the cities grow the adjacent rural areas are gradually embedded in the urban area and form a urban agglomerate. In this way though there is no absolute migration from rural to urban areas still it is a case of urbanization. E.g. cities like Rio- De-Genera, Mexico City and Shanghai have spread in the above manner.
FUTURE OF URBANIZATION
Urbanization is set to stay for a long time. It may slow but surely does not show any signs of stopping. In 1985, 45% of the world population stayed in cities. Scientists estimate that 60% of the world population will be citydwellers by 2025.
The main goal of urban planning is to make all amenities and comforts available to the public without imposing many negative effects on society and environment, aptly referred to as “Sustainable growth”.
The current scenario of urbanization:
The UN-Habitat report of 2008 says ten years down the line majority of the world population would be living in urban areas. The report for the first time used the term “Urban Millennium” to describe the phenomena of rapid urbanization. If one goes by the trends of urbanization it is seen that urbanization is highest in the developing countries because of the unstable socio-economic structure.

Hazards associated with urbanization:
Health Hazards caused as a result of Urbanisation

But, probably the biggest effects of urbanisation are the health hazards. The contamination of water, air and land spread disease. Large scale traffic is responsible for air pollution ultimately affecting the quality of air the people breathe. The amount of waste generated in the cities is also a matter of grave concern which governments across the world have been trying to address. However, the government’s efforts have not been able to match the steady migration and increasing filth added to the cities. The toxic wastes ultimately cause diseases such as malaria and dengue.

Sanitation is another grey area as hygiene related diseases due to inappropriate drainage system also results in death of millions of people as well as causing various diseases.
The rapid renouncing of agriculture by subsequent generations whose ancestors were engaged in farming also presents a challenge to food production. After all, food production is the most essential aspect of any economy and if every person starts migrating to urban area or towards industries, who would grow crops?

More the number of people, more the pressure on resources which ultimately drive up the prices of essential commodities causing trouble to the common man. If you thought that the impact of urbanisation was limited to environment, think again. The lifestyle that people lead in cities has also induced psychological stress including alienation and social issues such as marital instability.

Urbanisation has been one of the leading causes of displacement of habitats. Since large amounts of forests have been cleared for urban dwelling and where high rise buildings have come up, it has disturbed the natural habitat of various fauna. Besides this, the increasing number of buildings as well as greater population has resulted in increase in temperature.
Hence, growth in incomes and lifestyles has degraded the overall quality of human life as well as the emotional aspects connected with it.
EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION
Urbanization brings with it several consequences – both adverse and beneficial. They impact on social and environmental areas.
Benefits of urbanization
Though urbanization has drawbacks, it has its benefits.
Efficiency - Cities are extremely efficient. Less effort is needed to supply basic amenities such as fresh water and electricity. Research and recycling programs are possible only in cities. In most cities flats are in vogue today. Many people can be accommodated within a small land area.
Convenience - Access to education, health, social services and cultural activities is readily available to people in cities than in villages. Life in cities is much more advanced, sophisticated and comfortable, compared to life in villages. Cities have advanced communication and transport networks.
Concentration of resources - Since major human settlements were established near natural resources from ancient times, a lot of resources are available in and around cities. A lot of facilities to exploit these resources also exist only in cities.
Educational facilities - Schools, colleges and universities are established in cities to develop human resources. A variety of educational courses and fields are available offering students a wide choice for their future careers.
Social integration - People of many castes and religions live and work together in cities, which creates better understanding and harmony and helps breakdown social and cultural barriers.
Improvements in economy - High-tech industries earn valuable foreign exchange and lot of money for a country in the stock markets.
New opportunities and challenges
1. Urbanization creates opportunities and challenges, not least regarding sustainability.
2. Concentrations of people make it easier to offer basic infrastructure and public services such as education and health services.
3. Urbanization and growth go together, and no country has ever reached middle-income status without a significant population shift from rural to urban areas.
4. Urban environments, with close human interaction, also tend to spur innovation and economic development.
5. Urbanization affects economic relations and social structure throughout the world. It contributes to the globalization trend, with increased cross-border trade and cross-cultural ties bringing the world closer together.
Increased urbanization will also drive the development of megacities with 10 million inhabitants or more. It is estimated that by 2025 there will be 27 mega-cities, 20 of these in the developing world.