Urban Poverty || Genteel Penury of Asphalt Jungles

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Poverty stricken are found more in the urban dwellings than the rural grounds. Basic facilities are denied, primarily due to high prices, lack of opportunities, over-crowding, neglect and lack of aid from the power holders and other agencies. Several initiatives and programmes have been adopted by India and on the global level to alleviate urban poverty, and make this “Urban-Century” into Prospering and a peaceful one.


Urban poverty has been a harrowing truth, globally.  Today's megacities are reaching the limits of their carrying capacity to sustain human life, as urbanites increasingly face lack of access to safe water and sanitation, inadequate waste management, poor drainage, air pollution, excessive noise levels, and ineffective and inadequate service provision. The scale and depth of this problem helps to undermine the policies. Which have proved to be ineffective, statistically. Since the 20th century 50years, along with the accelerated process of urbanization and urban population density increased, the population of the world from 30% to about 50% now, is approach to 60% by 2030. Thus contemporary era has come up to be known as “Urban Century”.

As the world continue to urbanise – and most of the growth in the world's population is in urban areas in low- and middle-income countries. Majority of the population lives in abysmally dark and shady corners of such Asphalt jungles, with lack of infrastructure, health aid, abysmal living conditions. Due to urbanisation, large pool of men leaves their rurality and comes in search of jobs and avail better facilities.

The main reason for urban poverty is the migration on large scale level for better employment, health, infrastructural facilities. But due to the limited opportunities and illiteracy have resulted in unemployed city youth, the rate of poverty is increasing and the capital gap expanding.

The cut throat competition, illiteracy, overpopulation leads to rise in unemployment rate which creates societal, economic and geographic evils. Social evils includes the disruption in sex ratio in rural and urban vicinities, since males tend to migrate leaving their parents and wives behind, creating a sense of vulnerability for them. Unemployment leads to social discrimination, personal complex resulting in rise in criminal activities. Economically it increases capital gap, making rich, richer and poor more into poverty stricken state. Geographically burdening the natural resources, breaching the natural scale for normalcy and resource intake by humans. Best example of it is multi-storey buildings and creation of agglomerations. Also the creation slums and other scanty colonies to support poor, unemployed and debased population thus the cycle continuing.

It is reported that the rate of slums have a double rate than urbanisation, itself. It is a collective responsibility of the nations to eradicate his problem and create a world of healthy and well-satiated population. Spread of education, basic amenities on a lower price-rationing, provision of health and other termed facilities to everyone, also job opportunities and income equality can prove to be successful in removal of global poverty, making it a peaceful and prosperous world to live in.

by- Shaima Masood

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