Social & Environmental Issues in

Urban Areas

Urbanization and Environmental Issues in

Punjab: Challenges and Way Forward

Presented By:

Murad Khan Rana

(SWM Specialist)2

SEQUENCE OF PRESENTATION

Currency of the issue

Introduction

Different Perspectives

Analysis of the Issue

Popular Beliefs

Urban Issues

Management Issues

Institutional Response

Recommendations3

•In 1947, 17% of the country

could be called urban.

•1998 census reported that

32.5% of the country was

urban, which, according to

studies by the Planning

Commission, will grow to

nearly 50% by 2030.

4

August 25, 2013

CURRENCY OF THE ISSUE

Growing urbanization: Shifting sands by Dr. NomanAhmed

Science solid on global

warming, IPCC declares.

• "We need to seize the

opportunities of a low-

carbon future," UN

Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon ."The heat is

on, now we must act.―

• 5th assessment report by

the UN body said

warming of the climate

system was

"unequivocal" and there

was now a 95 per cent

probability….5

CURRENCY OF THE ISSUE

Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) 28-Sep-2013

http://www.ipcc.ch/

INTRODUCTION• URBAN:

A continuously and contiguously

built up land mass of urban

development containing high

population density, labour market

and vast human features in

comparison to its surroundings.

Parameters vary from country to

country

– Population (5000-10000 Persons)

– Non Agricultural Activities (66%)6

Source: The Urban Unit

Source: Arthur B. Gallion and Simon Einser, The Urban Pattern (City Planning and Design), (135 west 50th

street, new york, van nostrand reinhold publishers, 1983), 3.

INTRODUCTION• URBANIZATION:

Urbanization is the processby which large numbers ofpeople become permanentlyconcentrated in relativelysmall areas, forming cities.Internal rural to urbanmigration means that peoplemove from rural areas tourban areas. In this processthe number of people livingin cities increases compared

with the number of peopleliving in rural areas

7http://water.tkk.fi/wr/tutkimus/glob/publications/Haapala/pdf-files/URBANIZATION.pdf

INTRODUCTION

• ENVIRONMENT :

means—(a) air, water and land;

(b) all layers of the atmosphere;

(c) all organic and inorganic

matter and living organisms; (d)

the ecosystem and ecological

relationships; (e)

buildings, structures, roads, facili

ties and works; all social and

economic conditions affecting

community life; and (g) the inter-

relationships between any of the

factors specified in (a) to (f);8

Source:

http://www.environment.gov.pk

/act-rules/envprotact1997.pdf

GLOBAL URBANIZATION TRENDS

9Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division: World Urbanization Prospects, the 2011 Revision. New York, 2012

URBANIZATION TRENDS IN PUNJAB

0

10,000,000

20,000,000

30,000,000

40,000,000

50,000,000

60,000,000

70,000,000

80,000,000

90,000,000

100,000,000

1951 1961 1972 1981 1998 2012

Rural

Urban

10Source: www.world gazetteer.com

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION• 40 per cent of reported deaths and 25-30 per cent of

hospital admissions ascribe to a single source, water-

borne disease.

• 11 million hectares of arable land, out of 3 million, is

suffering from problems of water logging and about

three million from salinity.

• Water Level upto700 feet in Lahore is considered unfit

for human consumption.

• 143 per cent increase in the number of motorcycles

and a 24 per cent increase in rickshaws over the last

decade.

11

Source: The environmental degradation is ‘real’! By Sakina Hussain-2012.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION

• Karachi is one of the most polluted (air and water) cities

of the world where total suspended particulates (TSP) is

three to four times higher than the level determined as

safe by WHO.

• Similar conditions prevail in other major cities like

Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Hyderabad, Rawalpindi, an

d Peshawar.

• In addition to this, tons of rubbish and filth burnt by the

sanitary workers of metropolitan corporations, in almost

every part of the cities, further worsen this situation.

12

Source: http://download-reports.blogspot.com/2011/04/rising-urbanization-

in-pakistan.html

13

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

Economist Perspective

– Urbanization is an alarming trend need to be curtailed

through

• Creating balance in opportunities & rural

development

• Rationing of education expansion

• Expansion of labor intensive industry

• Reduce population growth

• Decentralized authority

Source (Economic Development Michael P. Todaro & Stephen. C . Smith)

14

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES Environmentalist Perspective

– Urban environmental problems are typically related to the

level of intensity of human activities – a function of

population density and activity type;

• Hydrosphere

• Biosphere

• Atmosphere

– Social & Economic problems are also associates with

urbanization include

• Poverty

• Crime

• Low Quality Housing

• Food Scarcity

SOURCE: Urbanization and Environment: A

Comparative Study Xinhao Wang, PhD, AIC Associate

Professor of Planning, Xinhao.wang@uc.edu

15

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES Urban Planning Perspective

– Old School

• Megacities are not sustainable

• Curtail the size

• Divert the demand to new cities

• Integrated Rural Development (1960’s -80’s)

– New School

• Cities contain huge potential, must be capitalized

• New avenues of economic growth in services sector

• Technological advancement & innovations

• Economies of scale – Urban agglomeration

• Manage urbanization to benefithttp://www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub48/figpub48.pdf

Source: Minhajuddin Khan and Muntazir Khan, “Rural Development Planning in Pakistan, Course Handbook and Survey Report” by HSD Division, AIT, Thailand; 1986

IssuesIssues

Loss of Agricultural Land and

other Green Spaces

Load on Services (Health,

Transportation, Education,

Recreation, Other public

Buildings)

Air Pollution-Emissions from

vehicles & industry, & Fog,

smog etc

Road space/ Circulation-

deficiency

Modification of micro climate

(Urban Heat Islands)

Visual Pollution (Unset Urban

morphology)

Energy Deficiency Noise Pollution Water Pollutions

Social Fabric – Anonymity Unemployment Soil Pollution/Contamination

Per capita consumption of

food, energy and durable

goods

Food Security Water Scarcity

Wildlife, Ecosystem Waste Disposal including

industrial & hospital waste

Low Quality Housing/Slums

Housing Back Log

Poverty

Crime16

WHAT ARE THE REAL ISSUES?

17

LOSS OF AGRICULTURAL LAND AND OTHER GREEN SPACES

• Fertile agricultural land and

precious Green Spaces

should not be sacrificed for

unplanned and unauthorized

urban expansion.

• In rural areas 100 household

covers 100 kanal but in urban

it covers much less may be

20 kanal.

18

Source: Urbanization And Loss of Agricultural Land and

Productivity, by Rukhsana Javed, Farzana Shaukat, Iffat Jabeen

SOCIAL FABRIC – ANONYMITY, CRIME

• Part of the "charm" of living in a small ruralcommunity is that each neighbor is usuallywell aware of what the others are doing. Thedegree of anonymity most often associatedwith urban living is often absent in ruralcommunities

• Higher crime rates

• But - Urban is more egalitarian.

19http://www.uky.edu/~deberti/socsaea.htm

PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION OF FOOD, ENERGY AND DURABLE GOODS

• Globally, agriculture has met the

demands from this rapidly growing

urban population, including

food, energy and durable goods.

• It is attributed to higher income

levels and better living standards.

20

Source: Urbanization and its implications for food and farming by David Satterthwaite*, Gordon McGranahan and Cecilia Tacoli

Sanitation Facilities

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Urban Rural Overall

Flush

No Flush

No Toilet

21Source: PSLM 2006/07

LOAD ON SERVICES

• In 2004, transport energy use amounted to 26% of total

world energy use and the transport sector was

responsible for about 23% of world energy-related GHG

emissions

• All urban services, social and municipal come under

stress

• Agreed but in rural areas cost of providing services is muchhigher.

• Lower per capita consumption of services also means

inequity in service delivery

• In urban areas, services are more optimally used

22

AIR & NOISE POLLUTION

0

1000000

2000000

3000000

4000000

5000000

6000000

7000000

2002

2011

23

Number of registered vehicles in Punjab (Source: Punjab Development Statistics)

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11 2011-12

Sohrab 425,24 397,93 319,39 353,57 278,49 209,92

Eagle 19,675 18,000 16,200 14,750 13,470 11,975

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

Decreasing Demand of Bicycles

Source: EPD Punjab

24

Ambient Air Quality In Big Cities Of Punjab, March 2010

CityOzoneug/m3

SO2

ug/m3

COmg/m3

NOXug/m3

PM 2.5ug/m3

180*1 hr 120*24hrs 5*8 hrs 80*24 hrs 40*24 hrs

WHO/ USEPA

Standards25 50 09 107 120

Lahore 32.8 72.8 2.5 164.4 252.3

Faisalabad 31.2 69.7 2.0 170.5 255.2

Rawalpindi 46.0 74.0 2.0 177.0 128.0

Gujranwala 31.5 75.3 2.3 179.2 260.3

Sahiwal 13.2 5.0 0.5 20.3 73.8

Multan 15.0 29.0 1.8 77.0 170.0

Bahawalpur 18.2 38.9 2.0 94.4 209.4

Muzafargarh 36.0 18.0 1.0 62.0 189.0

SO2: Sulfur Dioxide,

CO: Carbon monoxide, NOx: Nitrogen Oxides,

PM2.5: Particulate Matter up to 2.5 micron

Source: EPD Punjab

WATER POLLUTION

•Excess of arsenic and

fluoride found in several cities

of the Punjab

•More than two million people

in 6 districts of Punjab are

drinking contaminated water

higher than WHO permissible

level of arsenic.

Source: A study for monitoring the quality of water in Pakistan by Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), 2001

WATER SCARCITY

Source: Draft PRSP 2, Planning Commission, 2008

Water availability and population growth, 1951–2025 (Cubic meters)

IN LAHORE, WE ARE MINING WATER

27

VISUAL POLLUTION

• Rapid pace of urbanizationcauses visual pollution inurban areas. Visual pollutiondisturbs the aesthetics bycreating negative changes inthe natural and builtenvironment. Billboards,open storage of trash, spacedebris, telephone towers,electric wires, buildings andautomobiles are forms ofvisual pollution.

28

HOUSING BACKLOG & FORMATION OF UNPLANNED SETTLEMENTS

• Housing stock deficit 2.4

million.

• 0.2 million annual addition in

deficit

• 50% of urban slums

29

Source: (www.news/295411/punjab-s-

50pc-urban-folks-live-in-slums)

(National Housing Policy 2001)

WASTE DISPOSAL INCLUDING INDUSTRIAL & HOSPITAL WASTE

• Waste generation (percapita) is more in urbanand waste pattern isalso different (moreinorganic)

• Urban 0.55 Kg/cap/day

• Rural 0.45 Kg/cap/day

• Only in Lahore 5500tons of municipal waste

30

Source: Lahore Waste Management Company

SOIL POLLUTION

• Faisalabad, Lahore,Kasur, Sheikhupura, &kala shah kaku – soil iscontaminated throughsalts & heavy metals

• 1810 cusecs municipals• sewage and toxic

industrial effluents arebeing thrown into riverby ten sewage drains andpumping stations

31

http://tribune.com.pk/story/398626/river-clean-up-report-commissioned-on-sources-of-pollution-in-ravi/River Ravi Potentials, Pollution And Solutions: An Overview

ECOSYSTEM, WILDLIFE

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Faisalabad Lahore Multan

2006

2011

32

Area Under Forest (Thousand hectors)

•4% of land is covered with

forest

•Gradual Decrease in the

forest land due to urban

sprawl

•Private land is converting

in to housing societies

Source: Introduction to landscape of Pakistan, www.rrcap.unep.org

Source: Punjab Development Statistics

MODIFICATION OF MICROCLIMATE

33

The annual mean air

temperature of a city with one

million or more people can be

1.8 to 5.4°F (1 to 3°C) warmer

than its surroundings, and on a

clear, calm night, this

temperature difference can be

as much as 22°F (12°C). Even

smaller cities and towns will

produce heat islands, though

the effect often decreases as

city size decreases.

Source:www.epa.gov/heatisland/res

ources/pdf/BasicsCompendium.pdf

Source:www.law.georgetown.edu/academi

cs/academic-programs/clinical-

programs/our-clinics/HIP/Climate-work.cfm

UNEMPLOYMENT, CRIME & POVERTY• By 2029 over 60% of world population

will live in urban cities. Urbanemployment is already in disastercaused by tough competition due toexcessive supply to limited buyingpower would lead to massiveunemployment.

• Urban issue but employmentgeneration induces urbanization

• Punjab witnesses 10.2% increase incrime ratio

• The crime against person andproperty, shows upward trend with theaverage of 24.12%

• General trend regarding crime is morein urban than rural

34

SOURCE: http://members.tripod.com/sadashivan_nair/negativepositivefactorsandwe/id19.html)

Crime Rate in PunjabSource: http://tribune.com.pk/story/272911/punjab

BENEFITS OF URBANIZATION• Cities are engines of growth

• Proximity and Concentration – Compact Development

• Business like organization of municipality

• Small scale monitoring of livability

• Employment Generation

• Preservation of rural area

• Better living conditions

• Enhanced service delivery e.g Vaccination rate

• Better access to services

• Opportunity for concentrated political movement

• Diffusion of innovation

35

SUMMARYMyths Urban Issues Management issues

Loss of Agricultural Land and other

Green Spaces

Load on Services (Health,

Transportation, Education,

Recreation, Other public

Buildings)

Air Pollution-Emissions from

vehicles & industry, & Fog,

smog etc

Road space/ Circulation-deficiency Modification of micro climate

(Urban Heat Islands)

Visual Pollution (Unset Urban

morphology)

Energy Deficiency Noise Pollution Water Pollutions

Social Fabric – Anonymity Unemployment Soil Pollution/Contamination

Per capita consumption of food,

energy and durable goods

Food Security Water Scarcity

Wildlife, Ecosystem Waste Disposal including industrial

& hospital waste

Low Quality Housing/Slums

Housing Back Log

Poverty

Crime

36

INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSE

• National Housing Policy 2001

• No provincial housing policy

• Housing, Urban Development and Public Health

Engineering Department

• Local Government & Rural Development Department

• Devolution Plan 2001

• Environment Protection Department (BS 17 & 16)

• Transport Department (26 MVEs, checked 386360 in last

year)

37

RECOMMENDATIONS• Shifting of industries outside the urban areas and

outsourcing of emission testing,.

• Regulation of prequalification of

architects, Beautification competition

• Community cost sharing model for improved sanitation.

• Full cost recovery, Resource generation through

recycling of municipal services.

• Alternate plans for achieving objectives. WASA Lahore

spends 450 million/annum on storm water. Sufficient for

1000 invert wells. .

• Revenue generation from waste auction, RDF, or Waste

to Energy

38

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Buy back the underutilized areas and

capitalize the potential

• Heavy taxation on vacant plot. Housing

policy to cater for mandatory high rise

portion, infilling of existing approved areas

• Explore PPP options for mass transit,

Revision of rates of parking etc

39

40