Urbanization in Pakistan with Respect to China

TOPIC:

URBANIZATION IN PAKISTAN WITH RESPECT TO CHINA

URBANIZATION IN PAKISTAN WITH RESPECT TO CHINA

Urbanization refers to the migration of people from rural to urban areas means the population increases in cities more than the population in villages. It is observed from the past few decades that urbanization in Asia is increasing rapidly throughout the world and it occurs more in under developed and developing countries than the developed countries.

IMPORTANCE:

Urbanization is important in these days because it helps people to get rid off poverty and to get progress in their life. In urban areas, there are greater number of facilities like schools colleges, universities, more job opportunities and more importantly medical care is available so mortality rate reduces and health improves. Urbanization is the source to reduce extreme poverty from a country. Most of the urbanization is occurring in developing countries like Pakistan and China. As cities are source of economic development and ethnic development and can give numerous advantages to their dwellers. It also provides people’s freedom to link with electricity and water, as a result they become healthier and more productive. Other factors due to which migration occurs are natural catastrophes like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and tsunamis. For example: In 2010, floods resulting from monsoon rains affected about “20 million” people in Pakistan and destructed the property, livelihood and a number of deaths. Therefore, people started migrating from such prone areas to safe areas where every facility is available. In addition to it government policies and industrial development are also causes of the rapid urbanization. It is an emerging problem because increase in megacities is not equal to the facilities available there for citizens so it is difficult  for government to handle problems caused as a result of overcrowding. Moreover, individuals are building a single-family homes rather than joint-family high-rise building, that is the waste of vertical space undoubtedly resulting in horizontal growth.

TRENDS:

Pakistan has long been a nation defined by its geography. It is the country where majority of the population is based and where the largest industries are settled. Pakistan is urbanizing at an annual rate of 3%– the fastest pace in South Asia. Metropolitan cities are facing rapid urbanization as the population of Karachi alone has raised 80%  from 2000-2010, the biggest rise of any municipality in the world. The United Nations Population Division estimates that, by 2025, nearly half the country’s population will be living in cities as compared to one third of the population at present. Internal migration is not a big problem in Pakistan but external population is also increases due to war with India muslims migrate from India to Pakistan and settled in the regions of Punjab and Sindh. In 1990, during the soviet-insurgency nearly 4 million Afghan refugees came to Pakistan and settled in its western part.