Sunday, July 31, 2016

CURRENT URBAN PROBLEMS OF DEVELOPING WORLD


It is expected that in next century about 90 % of the human population will resides in the developing countries generally Asia, Africa and South America. The growth is vastly in large cities which are already facing food, jobs, housing, water supply problems to the residents of the city. The unplanned and not controllable growth of the cities causes dangerous environmental problems. The factors that cause problems are described as:

TRAFFIC AND CONGESTION

When anyone visits a large city first time, he observes the great rush on the roads and streets due to the pedestrians and vehicles that block the roads. The noise, congestion and confusion created due to traffic looks like to be killing. Jakarta provides an example that is the most populated city in the world. Traffic almost clog the roads all the time. People have to stay and wait for 3 to 4 hours in congesting traffic. Bangkok faces the massive traffic problems. It is estimated that an average resident spends almost 44 days in traffic jam. When vehicles stand still while in traffic jams, they lost almost 20 % of fuel.  Working hours lost each year that have worth of about $3 million. 

AIR POLLUTION

The heavy traffic (from vehicles), factories, wood or coal burning for food cooking and heating causes the dense air pollution in the megacities of world. The problem of air pollution is enhanced by the indulgent laws, corrupt administrators, non efficient testing equipment, ignoring the sources and effects of pollution and lack of funds. It is estimated that about 60 % of Calcutta people suffer from respiratory diseases from air pollution. In Shanghai the mortality rate was 4 to 7 times higher from lung cancer compared to the rates in countryside. 

SEWER SYSTEMS AND WATER POLLUTION

Only few cities in developing countries can afford the plantation of water treatment systems. It was predicted that only 35 % of people in developing countries have proper and satisfied sanitation conditions. The condition of sewage system is very worse in Latin America that residents hardly 2 % of urban sewage receives the treatment. In Egypt Cario's sewer system was built for about 2 million people. It is now serving more than 10 million people. In Colombia, Bagota River has fecal bacteria count of 7.3 million cells per liter. 

About 400 million people or it can be said about one third of the population in developing countries have no safe drinking water supply.  City dwellers have to clean water and it costs heavier. The people have to purchase water from merchants that costs 100 times more compared to piped city water and is not safe for drinking. 

HOUSING

It is estimated by US that about 1 billion people that accounts 20 % of the world population live in slums, shanty towns, squatter towns that out strikes the developing world cities. 

Slums

Slums are normally legal insufficient multifamily rooming houses that are built either to rent to poor people or are converted from other use. The Chals of Mumbay, India are the high slum built in 1950's. 84 % families live in a single room, Half of the families consist of 6 to 7 members. Only 2 square meter floor is available per person and only one to two beds for whole family is there. For mill workers the condition become more worse. 25 men sleep in a single room and the space of room is only 7 meters.



Shantytowns

These are made when people shift to the areas where the land is undeveloped. People use metal, useless packing crates, brush and plastic sheets as building materials. Some are illegal shantytowns.

Squatter towns

Here people use the land and settle there without owner permission. They are thousand in numbers and they come at night and use that undeveloped land and build there huts, streets, markets and schools before the authority move these people out. 



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