Environmental Repercussions of
Urbanization-Details
The major problem confronting the urban areas is the
provision of land for housing the low-income groups.
To house
the increase in the urban population alone, over 275
thousand
units are required every year. The state and the
formal sector
combined provide land for no more than an average of
25
thousand households a year and this too at a price
that is
unaffordable by the poor.
Karachi is one of Pakistan's best serviced cities.
Even
here, 192 MGD of sewerage is generated and only 40 MGD
is
treated, the rest flows untreated into the sea causing
severe
marine pollution and health hazards. Similarly, only
33 percent
of Sindh-Karachi's solid wasted is transported to the
dumping sites
and the rest is left to deteriorate. In most
intermediate cities of
Pakistan the situation is much worse and in the
smaller towns
sewerage systems, treatment plants and solid waste
management
systems are unknown.
Environmental degradation of old city centers has also
taken place due to the nature of Pakistan's
urbanization. These
centers of old towns in Pakistan contain beautiful
historic
architecture and were also the residential areas of
the traditional
elite. The streets in most of these areas are narrow
and not
accessible to vehicular traffic. In the heart of these
towns and
adjacent to railway terminals were the markets and
commercial
areas that served the needs of the original cities.
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