URBANIZATION: Causes and Effect of Urbanization in india, Major Problems of Urbanisation in India and their Solutions

Urbanization is a process whereby populations move from rural to urban areas, enabling cities and towns to grow. It can also be termed as a progressive increase in the number of people living in towns and cities.  In the present global atmosphere, all nations undergo the challenges of the environment, social, transportation, Economy in their respective cities. These issues commonly occurred in developing countries due to the difference in development in cities and villages. Most countries focus on the development of cities instead of rural areas. Consequently, the urban areas are equipped with infrastructure, public facilities as well as provide employment opportunities compared to the rural areas. Therefore inhabitants are more attracted to migrate in cities to avail hi-tech facilities, enhance their lifestyles, and ultimately these activities raise numerous urbanization issues. The promise of jobs and prosperity, among other factors, pulls people to cities.

Normally, urbanization is directly associated with innovation, industrialization, and the sociological process of good reason. Urbanization process had started during the industrial revolution when the workforce moved towards manufacturing hubs in cities to get jobs in factories as agricultural jobs became less common. The global urban population is growing at a rapid rate from 17% in 1951 to 20% in 2001 and is expected to increase by 41% in 2020. It is observed that developing countries urbanize faster than industrialized nations because they have more issues of urbanizations.

The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008. It is predicted that by 2050 about 64% of the developing world and 86% of the developed world will be urbanized. That is equivalent to approximately 3 billion urbanites by 2050, much of which will occur in Africa and Asia.

Major causes of urbanization

Following are the main causes of urbanization:

=> Industrial revolution

Industrialization is a trend representing a shift from the old agricultural economics to a novel non-agricultural economy, which creates a modernized society. Through the industrial revolution, more people have been attracted to move from rural to urban areas on account of improved employment opportunities.  Industrial employment catches the attention of people from rural to urban areas. In urban areas, people work in the modern sector in occupations that assist in national economic development. This represents that old agricultural economics is changing to a new non-agricultural economy. 

=> Social benefits and services

There are numerous social benefits attributed to life in cities and towns. Examples include better educational facilities, better living standards, better sanitation and housing, better health care, better recreation facilities, and better social life in general. On this account, more and more people are prompted to migrate into cities and towns to obtain a wide variety of social benefits and services which are unavailable in the rural areas.

=> Employment opportunities

In cities and towns, there are sufficient job opportunities that continually draw people from rural areas to seek a better livelihood. Therefore, the majority of people frequently migrate into urban areas to access well-paying jobs as urban areas have countless employment opportunities in all developmental sectors such as public health, education, transport, sports and recreation, industries, and business enterprises. Services and industries generate and increase higher value-added jobs, and this leads to more employment opportunities.

=> Availability of transportation

 Due to easy transport, people prefer to stay in big cities.

=> Migration

 Migration is the main cause of the rapid growth of mega-cities. Migration has been going on over centuries and it is a normal phenomenon. When considering urbanization rural-urban and urban-rural and rural-rural migrations are very important. Urban-urban migration means that people move from one city to another. People may move to the city because they are forced by poverty from rural communities or they may be pulled by the magnetism of city lives.

=> Infrastructure facilities in the urban areas

Infrastructure has a vital role in the process of urbanization in the development of countries. As agriculture becomes more fruitful, cities grow by absorbing the workforce from rural areas. Industry and services increase and generate higher value-added jobs, and this led to economic growth. 

Factors lead to urbanization

There are several aspects that lead to urbanization. The factors can be categorized into three categories that include, economic opportunities, proper infrastructure and utilities, and availability of public facilities.

=> Economic opportunities

  It is a general perception that the living standard of urban areas is superior as compared to village areas. People consider that more job opportunities and more jobs are offered in the city instead of rural areas. Besides, income also will be higher.

=> Proper infrastructure and utilities

In today's economy driven society, the majority of nations in the world are focusing on the development of major cities as the center of government and business. As such, the cities will certainly be equipped with better infrastructure and utilities such as roads and transportation, water, electricity, and others. Apart from that, communication and internet coverage also is good in the cities which are believed as one of the pulling factors of migration.

=> Availability of public facilities

To make smart cities, metropolitan cities also offered better public facilities which are not there in rural areas. Since a variety of public facilities such as health and education are provided in the cities, people have more choices either to use public or private. In urban areas, a greater variety of entertainment such as restaurants, movie theatres, and theme parks attract more people to live in cities.

Urbanization issues in the Indian context 

India is known for its rural population in the world with about 73 percent of its population living in rural villages. Although India is one of the less urbanized countries of the world with only 27.78 percent of her population living in urban cities and towns, this country is facing a serious crisis of urban growth at the present time. 

When evaluating urbanization process in Indian perspective, it is observed that major problems of urbanization in this nation are Urban Sprawl(शहरी फैलाव), Overcrowding, Housing, Unemployment, Slums, Transport, Water, Sewerage Problems, Trash Disposal, Urban Crimes, and Problem of Urban Pollution. While urbanization has been a mechanism of economic, social, and political progress, it can pose serious socio-economic problems.

Poverty, joblessness, and underemployment among the rural immigrants, beggary, thefts, dacoities, and other social sins go wild. It is estimated that by 2030, more than 50 percent of India's population is expected to live in urban areas. It is commonly observed that such big cities attract the majority of people to get employment opportunities and live in a modern style. Such hyper urbanization leads to increased city sizes which challenge the imagination. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore are examples of an urban slump due to the huge migration of people from nearby places.

=> Overcrowding 

It is a situation in which a large number of people live in too little space. Overcrowding is a consistent result of overpopulation in urban areas. 

  For example, Mumbai has one-sixth of an acre of open space per thousand populations though four-acre is suggested by the Master Plan of Greater Mumbai. Metropolitan cities of India are overcrowded both in ‘absolute’ and ‘relative’ terms. Absolute in the sense that these cities have a real high density of population; relative in the sense that even if the densities are not very high the problem of providing services and other facilities to the city residents makes it so.

=> Housing

It is another intense problem due to urbanization in India. Overcrowding leads to a constant problem of scarcity of houses in urban areas. This problem is particularly more strong in those urban areas where there is a large invasion of jobless or underemployed immigrants who could not find a place to live when they come to cities and towns from nearby areas.

Moreover, the current rate of housing construction is very slow which makes the problem further complicated. Indian cities require annually about 2.5 million new houses but less than 15 percent of the requirement is being constructed. 39 percent of all married couples in India (about 86 million) do not have an independent room for themselves. As many as 35 percent (18.9 million) urban families live in one-room houses.

=> Unemployment 

The problem of joblessness is also serious as the problem of housing. Urban unemployment in India is estimated at 15 to 25 percent of the labor force. This percentage is even higher among educated people. It is approximate that about half of all knowledgeable urban unemployed youth are living in four metropolitan cities such as in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.

One of the major causes of urban unemployment is the large scale migration of people from rural to urban areas. Rural-urban migration has been continuing for a pretty long time but it has not always been as great a problem as it is today. But the growth of economic opportunities fails to keep pace with the quantum of immigration. The limited capacity of urban areas could not create enough employment opportunities and absorb the rapid growth of the urban labor force. 

=> Slums and Squatter Settlements 

The cost of living in urban areas is very high. When this is combined with random and unexpected growth as well as unemployment, there is the spread of unlawful resident settlements represented by slums and squatters. The explosion of slums occurs due to many factors, such as the lack of developed land for housing, the high prices of land beyond the reach of urban poor, a large influx of rural migrants to the cities in search of jobs.

Socially, slums tend to be isolated from the rest of urban society and exhibit pathological social symptoms (drug abuse, alcoholism, crime, vandalism, and other deviant behavior). The lack of integration of slum residents into urban life reflects both, the lack of ability and cultural barriers. Slums are known by different names in different cities. They are called bustees in Kolkata, jhuggi- jhopri in Delhi, Jhopadpatti, or Chawl in Mumbai and Cheri in Chennai. 

Slums have invariably extreme unhygienic conditions. They have impoverished toilets made by digging shallow pits in between three or four huts and with sackcloth(कनवास) as a curtain, hanging in front. When the pit overflows, excreta(मलमूत्र) gets spread over the surrounding area and is rarely cleaned.

=> Transport

Urbanization poses a major challenge to the transport system. With traffic blockage, almost all cities and towns of India are suffering from severe(गंभीर) forms of transport problems. Transport problem increases and becomes more complex as the town grows in dimension. As the town becomes larger, even people living within the built-up area have to travel by car or bus to cross the town, and outsiders naturally bring their cars or travel by public transport. Wherever trade is important, commercial vehicles such as vans and trucks will make the problem of traffic more complicated.

The traffic scenario in almost all the Indian cities presents a pathetic picture with Mumbai still having the best city transport system and Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Pune being reasonably well served by the local transport system. In all other cities, if one does not own a personal vehicle, great hardship is experienced in moving about in the city. A study of traffic problems in Delhi will acquaint us with traffic scenarios in the rest of urban India. Already there are 44 lakh vehicles on Delhi roads (in 2004) which will almost double by 2021 when the next Master Plan will be implemented. The road length, however, has not increased proportionately.

=> Water

Water is one of the most essential elements of nature to maintain life and right from the beginning of urban civilization. However, the supply of water started falling short of demand as the cities grew in size and number. Today we have reached a stage where practically no city in India gets sufficient water to meet the needs of city residents. In many cities, people get water from municipal sources for less than half an hour every alternate day. In the dry summer season, taps remain dry for days together and people are denied water supply at a time when they need it the most.

=> Health problem due to urbanization

Physical, mental, and social health is affected by living conditions.  Factors affecting health in slums are Economic conditions, Social conditions, Living environment, Access, and use of public health care services, Hidden/Unlisted slums, and Rapid mobility. Environmental problems can cause many other problems such as poor air quality that can produce asthma and allergies or contribute to physical inactivity, and impure water supply can cause the spread of infectious diseases through the water supply or through food such as waterborne and foodborne diseases, climates changes can cause deaths from severe heat or cold, noise can cause sleep disturbances, and hence poor performance at work and in school.

=> Urban Crimes

In developed cities of India, people get connected with different types of individuals who do not have similarity with one another. The problem of crimes increases with the increase in urbanization. In fact, the increasing trend in urban crimes tends to upset the peace and tranquillity of the cities and make them insecure to live in mainly for women. The problem of urban crime is becoming more complicated in current situations because criminals often get shelter from politicians, bureaucrats, and leaders of urban society.

Not only the poor, deprived and slum dwellers take to crime; youngsters from well-to-do families also resort to crime in order to make a fast buck and for meeting requirements of a lavish(खर्चीला) life. Occasional failures in life also drag youngsters to crime.  

Urbanization Issues and Problems 

Some scholars think that the process of urbanization will bring numerous benefits for monetary growth, expansion of business activities, social and cultural incorporation, resourceful services, as well as resources of utilization. Though, there are some issues that occur due to urbanization. These include:

=> Rapid rate of urbanization

It is observed that the fast rate of urbanization which is increasing every year has needed more growth of new areas for housing, social amenities, commercial, and other urban land uses. In addition, the high demand for land use in strategic areas also has led to land-use variances. These situations led to various urbanization issues such as environmental pollution, traffic congestion, depletion of green areas, and degradation in the quality of urban living.

=> Degradation of environmental quality 

Due to urbanization, there is environmental degradation especially in the quality of water, air, and noise. Some unlawful factories and even houses which have poor infrastructure, the waste from buildings are directly channeled to the nearest river or water resources which directly pollute the water. Another after-effect of rapid urbanization is the air pollution which has also increased due to emanation(निर्गम) from motor vehicles, industrial development and use of non-environmental friendly fuel sources. The noise pollution is produced from various human actions which also degrade the environment and ultimately affect human health. 

=> Inefficient transportation system:

Urbanization created a strong problem with transportation. Due to the movement of people into metropolitan cities, the number of vehicles on the road is increasing every year. Although various types of public transportation are provided in the cities, people in cities still prefer to drive private vehicles. This is due to ineffective public transportation.

=> Decline in quality of living for urban residents

  Urbanization is a major concern for management researchers because it decreases the quality of living for urban residents. As the metropolis becomes a developed city, the land value will also increase. The housing provision will focus more to fulfil the needs of the high-income group. The supply of housing for the urban poor is still inadequate(अपर्याप्त) as the cost of these houses is very high to which the low and middle-income group cannot afford. The lack of housing provision for the low-income group has led to the continuation of unlawful resident settlements in the city.

Remedy to fix issues of urbanization in India

India has a rapidly increasing population. According to the estimates of New McKinsey Global Institute research, cities of India could produce 70 percent of net new jobs by 2030, may generate around 70 percent of Indian GDP, and drive a nearly fourfold increase in per capita incomes across the country. If India upgrades its urban operating model, it has the capacity to reap a demographic dividend from the increase of around 250 million expected in the next decade in the working-age inhabitants. 

India's current Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi also came forward to resolve the issues related to urbanization. In order to decrease discrimination, Mr. Modi stated that there is a need to concentrate on comprehensive growth and must recognize the most backward areas in cities and towns and provide basic amenities in place. There is an urgent need to develop social mechanisms that will assist to reduce inequality and make sure the basics like health, sanitation, education reach those who have been underprivileged of the same.

=> Building sustainable and environmentally friendly cities

Governments should pass laws that plan and provide environmentally sound cities and smart growth techniques, considering that people should not reside in unsafe and polluted areas. The objective here is to build sustainable cities that embrace(आलिंगन) improved environmental conditions and safe habitats for all urban populations. Governments should also encourage sustainable use of urban resources and support an economy based on the sustainable environments such as investment in green infrastructure, sustainable industries, recycling, and environmental campaigns, pollution management, renewable energy, green public transportation, and water recycling and reclamation(सुधार).

=> Provision of essential services

Urban stakeholders must ensure all populations within the urban areas have access to adequate essential social services namely education, health, sanitation and clean water, technology, electricity, and food. The objective here is to provide and implement employment opportunities and wealth creation activities so that people can earn a living to pay for the maintenance of the services. Subsidies can also be availed by the government to lower the costs of basic healthcare, basic education, energy, education, public transportation, communication systems, and technology.

=> Creation of more jobs

To lessen the negative effects of rapid urbanization while at the same time conserving natural ecosystems, private investments should be encouraged so as to utilize natural resources and create more job opportunities. Tourism promotion and the sustainable exploitation of natural resources can create more jobs for urban populations.

=> Population control

Key stakeholders in urban areas must provide campaigns and counseling for effective medical health clinics and family planning to help reduce the high rates of population growth. Medical health clinics oriented towards family planning options must be made accessible across the entire urban area with the objective of controlling diseases and population growth.

To summarize, Urbanization is the substantial expansion of urban areas due to rural migration and it is strongly related to modernization, industrialization, and the sociological process of rationalization. Urbanization commonly occurred in developing countries because the government has keenness to accomplish a developed city status. The government should not be keen to develop a city without considering the impacts on the social and environmental aspects. Instead, the government should modify the urban development process in order to accomplish a developed city and make efforts to lessen the possibility of problems that might arise. Presently, India already has numerous megacities. Many researchers believe that urbanization is good for the financial growth of a country but careful planning is required to develop cities and offer basic amenities for healthy living.