1 October 2024 : Daily Answer Writing

Q1) How do unplanned urbanization and unabated rural-urban migration contribute to the multiple woes faced by Indian metropolises?

(250 Words/15 Marks)

ANS

Urbanization refers to the population transfer from rural to urban regions on a relatively permanent basis. The lack of proper planning for urbanization and large influx of migrants creates challenges for metropolitan cities.

The various challenges faced by metropolitan cities are as follows:

1. Slums: Mumbai’s 41% population are said to be slum-dwelling households. E.g., Dharavi. Slums create negative multiplier effects such as poor quality of life, encroachment of public land etc.
2. Infrastructure:
3. a) Poor road connectivity, inadequate public transport infrastructure leads to traffic congestion and increased pollution.
4. b) Poor drainage network brings the urban life to a halt during excessive rains, creating urban floods. E.g., September 2022 floods in Bengaluru, 2015 floods in Chennai, 2005 Mumbai rains etc.
5. Pollution and Waste Management:
6. a) Excessive waste generation has outrun the capacity of landfill sites. E.g., Ghazipur landfill site in Delhi rises by nearly 10 metres a year.
7. b) As per WHO, 14 out of 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India. The rivers along the urban areas are highly polluted due to untreated discharge. E.g., the black and frothing waters of Yamuna in Delhi.
8. Corruption breeds poor governance, administrative apathy, siphoning of funds, and unlawful approvals for projects. E.g., Supertech Twin Towers in Noida had to be demolished after SC’s order.

Contribution of unplanned urbanization to multiple woes faced by Indian metropolis is as follows:

1. Lack of Inclusion: Planning for resources often does not cover the needs of slum-dwellers, like low-cost housing, good quality and affordable education, health etc. It results in expansion of slums and ghettoes. Shady clinics by quacks threaten the life of poor.
2. Resource mobilization is difficult due to unplanned expansion of cities. E.g., poor collection of stamp duties and property taxes due to unauthorized construction.
3. Misgovernance: Lack of political decentralization of funds, functions and functionaries to local bodies result in top-down approach and improper utilization of available funds. E.g., poor quality of roads despite accidents and deaths due to potholes.
4. Horizontal sprawl: Indian metropolitan cities are bursting at the seams, creating satellite towns. There is lack of vertical growth as the same is not factored in long term plans for growth of city’s population.

Contribution of unabated rural-urban migration to multiple woes faced by Indian metropolis is as follows:

1. Crime results from clash of value systems and gaps between aspirations and resources for large number of people flocking to big cities. E.g., Delhi’s reputation as the ‘crime-capital’ of India.
2. Traffic congestion is a reality of Indian metropolitan cities as roads, sub-urban rails and metros are overcrowded.
3. Inequality: Stark contrast of income and wealth inequality exists in metropolitan cities as poor from large number of towns and villages move to the few metropolitan areas.
4. Over-burdened Urban authorities: Under-funded urban local bodies lack capacity to provide for demands of unabated migration to cities. E.g., water-distress, high real estate prices etc.
5. Mental health: Stressful and ‘cut-throat life’ of cities is made further difficult by feelings of cultural alienation, exclusion and loneliness. E.g., depression among migrants.

Ideas like sponge cities, planning for disaster-resilient infrastructure and transit-oriented development can ameliorate the pressure on metropolitan cities. Regional disparities in economic growth and development should be bridged to contain unmitigated migration. These steps can go long way in achieving SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).