Essays - Pakistan - the most urbanized country of South Asia

Pakistan - the most urbanized country of South Asia

Study of Pakistan's population in the latest report of UN's population fund.

Pakistan is the "most urbanized" country of South Asia, because 32% rural population already has migrated to urban areas with dreams of better future. Due to this migration, on one side in urban settlements the serious problems of shelter, environment and employment are re-surfacing then, on the other side urban facilities and services are interrupting badly. These are the words said in a report of United Nations, prepared with the collaboration with the Population fund of the international organization. According to the report, the reason behind 24% increase in urban population of Pakistan is not only people coming from the rural areas but apart from that its also foreign migrants. The number of these foreigners are said to be 2 to 3 million, majority of these are Bangladeshis. Apart from these, 3 million Afghan refugees are also present. Natural rate of increase in the population of urban areas is consistently 2.6%, but with all this the swiftness at which population of cities are increasing it is sensed that Pakistan's population would reach 220 million till 2020.

Whereas 33% population dwell in urban areas, that's why a growth rate of 3.5% is noted, and clearly the speed at which the population of cities are increasing, the need for urban facilities and services are also being required accordingly, now the situation is that about 50% of the total population is living in houses composed of only one room, where there's no reasonable facilities for health care, cleanliness and no system of sanitation.

It is said in this United Nation's report that there has already been 7 times increase in the urban population of Pakistan. In 1951 the total population of Pakistani cities were 6 million, which increased to 340 million in 1998. Unfortunately with the speedy increase in the urban population, the basic urban facilities weren't provided with the same speed. Due to the unchecked increase in population, illegal settlements (Kachi aabadian, jhonpriyan) and its establishments is increasing, urban problems are becoming more cumbersome and complex.

Those urban areas where such (Jhuggi) tent villages are formed, poverty is present there in its worst cruel and ugly shape, where different types of social problems are nurturing, which includes usage of drugs, increasing number of child laborers, and also attack of AIDS and other sexual diseases.

Migration from rural areas to cities, is also destroying the environmental balance and eco system. Emission of smoke from cars and factories, is also increasing which has stimulated tremendous increase in air pollution. Small illegal industrial zones are created in-between urban settlements, the smoke emitting from these, as well as the industrial wastes are becoming very dangerous for the health of such urban settlements.

In this report, the three basic sources of (naql makani) migration are discussed in detail. Among these three sources, from one province to the other province, from villages to cities and migration on international level. The migration happening from inside the country are called for, that before the census of 1998, approximately 4 million people had migrated and among those; more than two-thirds were going into the cities, and now they are 63% of urban population. Their total population is 5 to 6 % in the urban areas of the four provinces. As compared to the other three provinces two or three times more people migrate from Punjab, and in Punjab from one rural area to the other rural area, migration is seen on the rise.

Since 1950, maximum people migrating into Sindh are from Punjab and NWFP, and it continues. 70% people migrating into Sindh doesn't belong to this province whereas 60% people have migrated between the provinces of NWFP and Punjab.

In this report the imbalanced division between the population of the provinces is also elaborately discussed. Baluchistan, which has 44% area of the whole country, only 5% population of the whole country is residing / living on it and there only 19 people per square kilometer live. On the other side is Punjab, whose population is 55% of the whole country, only 1/4th of the total land came in its share.