More than half of the seven-billion world population is huddled on three per cent of the earth's land area. But as the recently published U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) report cautions, this should not be taken to mean that the world can mindlessly absorb any number of people for years to come. Nor does it imply that its cities can expand without rethinking their current course. What emerges from the population figures is that there is an urgent need to plan human settlements proactively, using the available land wisely and ensuring that the future population is provided with better places to live in. In the next three decades, much of the population growth will occur in urban areas, and about five billion people will live in cities. Africa and Asia are set to double their urban population in the same period. If the business-as-usual approach continues, this growth is bound to be haphazard and lopsided, throwing up serious problems of population management. Smaller towns that have neither the resources nor the planning infrastructure are absorbing significant numbers of people. For instance, in India, of the 2,774 new urban centres that have emerged in the last decade, 2,532 are census towns or places without a statutory urban local body such as a municipality. This disconnect is an urgent reminder to policymakers that they must strengthen the capacities of smaller towns and enable them to handle the population surge better.
Large urban agglomerations pose a different problem. The number of people residing within the city core has come down because of expensive land prices, but the peripheries have expanded with low densities, consuming more land and forcing long commutes. Mumbai city, for instance, had a negative population growth rate of 5.75 per cent in the last decade, but Thane, its suburb, which is about 40 km away, recorded 36 per cent growth. Such a sprawl means a huge loss of agricultural land, and it pushes the perimeter of urban consumption far beyond its immediate region. If this pattern continues unchecked, the land required to support each person, currently estimated to be 2.7 hectares, will increase and result in an ‘ecological overshoot.' Harnessing the advantages of population growth and stemming the ‘degenerative peripheralisation' are challenging tasks. Recycling urban properties to enhance population densities and planning a balanced regional development could be a way forward. A vital issue of concern is planning for the poor. Studies have shown that a large part of future urban growth will comprise poor people (UNFPA 2007). If the world has to remain slum-free and equitable, providing for the land needs of marginalised people should be a top priority.
Keywords: world population, 7 billion mark, UNFPA, urbanisation
While raining an important issue, the editorial presents some assumptions as facts. The statement regarding the population growth occurring exclusively in urban areas is an assumption or a forecast under certain conditions. Yes! There is an urgent need to plan. As more mothers are currently in rural communities both in India and Africa, the natural population growth is likely to occur there. The prerequisite of any plan is to keep the parents in rural communities. A large fraction of the current farm labor has to move into future industries. Urban locations will attract them if industry is concentrated there. In India, three thousand to six thousand towns and about sixty thousand Panchayats should be the focus of knowledge based broadband connected industrial development. Wise policies will encourage the allocation of critical but meager resources, such as, land, water, energy, and capital optimally towards sustainable national economic development.
As you've rightly said, Population Management is a critical task. Especially for a country like ours, where only 'ad hoc' policies are being formulated, and not really futuristic.Projected global population figures show that India would surpass china by 2030. urbanization is at a rapid pace.Soaring commodity prices,unattractive Minimum Support Price to farmers,and no separate "watch dog" for the agricultural land being exploited for commercial purposes.so there has been a sharp decline in food crop production in our country.Adding to this, rapid Industrialization has is own contribution to the climate change,which is directly affecting our monsoon.This multifaceted problem should have to be addressed more effectively by having a better Macro Economic policy in place.
why has development been oriented towards urban areas? Is it a divine plan or the result of skewed development by humans? Why can't we think of decentralization of Industries?What are the impediments? Why Can't PURA as advised by Dr.kalam be taken up more seriously? The problem has been with free market economy that develops only urban areas.Suburban areas and villages and slums are not considered for development. May be it's time to bring in the concept of planning into primacy? Otherwise, balanced development will remain a wishful thinking.
Large scale human migration across continent is a distinct possibility and the countries of the world should put in place policies on immigration, human settlement, resources etc etc instead of raising war rhetoric every now and then. Going for war and wreaking havoc is easy but there is a greater goal of sustaining our earth, all the human beings, flora and fauna that is awaiting solution. World leaders should attend to the impending peril as quickly as possible to avoid disaster.
An excellent and a timely editorial! With the world population soaring, proper inititatives are to set up in place to allow proper use of land, water and other resources. Especially, Agricultural land shouldn't be usurped for urban growth. That's extremely negative, especially for developing nations like us.
This is a good article. Now India has to re-think for agriculture
land. Because of too much investment in our country, agriculture land
are shrinking day by day. We can live with less number of factory but
not without food and for food agriculture is a must.
India has to focus on Organic farming and Cow Protection program which
will solve economic problem. From cow dung we can produce bio gas,
fertilizer. This will solve our economic problem which leads to
improve balance of payment of our country...
In my comment earlier I forgot to add that yes, we need population control , too. Tamil Nadu and other states have achieved zero birth rate due to one and only one factor viz education and literacy for girls.
The other successful experiment was a law by China to have only one child. While China is a dictatorship and could enforce this through tough measures, a country like India could impose this law with incentives offered.
An eg. if both parents do birth control operations after the first child they get Rs 2 lakhs. After two children they get 1.5 lakhs. In addition they are given an insurance policy that guarantees their child an inflation adjusted education worth say Rs 1 lakh today. A brilliant gift would be patta land i.e title to a land of 2000 sq ft with a housing loan !
In India we can arrest migration to big cities, AND GROW SMALLER CITIES INTO MEDIUM SIZED CITIES. Funny, nobody passes such a law ! Or offers incentives.
Population and Land issue the biggest problem only be solved if rural area is developing as fast as urban!
That the shrinking percapita living space is posing a big challenge to countries like India and China,as focussed by The Hindu offers food for thought.With the growing chunk of Indians reeling under abject poverty, the present space-crunch is an added woe. More and more employment through industrialisation,in rural centres may address the population density,brimming beyond level,in Metros. Agriculture, needs revival to bring cheers to the poor peasants, who have been forced to migrate to Metros in search of green pastures to make both ends meet. The govt.that always holds brief for "liberalisation" may have to take effective measures in this direction.
Growth of population in metros, cities and towns can be accommodated and its needs provided excepting the growth of private vehicles which is the cause of all evils. Unless its growth is checked, all plans will prove futile. Urban people should be made to use public transport as there may not be enough space even to park the increasing number private vehicles in near future.
Today's editorial is a wonderful piece of write up which not only gives information but also helps us to think about the current situation. If the world population will increase at this rate then what will be the situation condition. Its a matter of concern today. Every country should think and take initiatives not only to bring change and development but also to shape the size of the population. Let this should be the major task for all.
Population is increasing mostly in developing countries.Only solution to stop the growth of population spend more money on education of girls. Many studies show that educated woman know importance of little family and ready for birth control.There is good proverb--Educated woman bring up entire family topmost level
Thanks for the timely Editorial. The MCCI, CII, FICCI. University of Madras and Real estate Developers like Isha Homes,Marg. DLf. HIRCO and a number of CSO`S,are all Keen to take up Sustainable and inclusive development of Chennai and urban centres in Tamilnadu. The Hindu- can make a story on the balanced urbanisation and need for a forward looking policy on a Habitat and Housing policy for promoting compact cities incorporating affordable Housing in integrated communities. The State Planning Commission is considering this aspect.
The challenges of the evergrowing population and its impact on the ecology and economics has been well brought out in the Editorial.The seriousness of the issue lies in the fact that for every growing population , the need for increased food production and creation of infrastructure for livelihood and shelter , will result in overlapping requirements of land and thereby encroaching on the forests which will result in further ecological imbalance.Thus the issue of population increase is multi dimensional that will either way affect the governance and development paradigm of any nation and its time the Political leaders and the common man realise the seriousness and the lurking danger for our future generations resulting in dissonance among people on land , water , food , forest rights of tribals etc., Its time we follow a life of simplicity and efficiency which will go a long way in tackling this problem.Kudos to The Hindu for highlighting the issue in its perspective.
One third of the 7 billion will be living in India and China and both will have major problems on urbanisation,pollution,environmental degradation and food grain production.Water is already a scarce resource and these are the challenges that they have to be face.
Here is an interesting thought - we need to redistribute land resources more equitably. Canada and Australia have about 20mn people each and are larger than India. Should both these countries take , say 100 or 200m Indians? It can be argued that the current inhabitants of these countries forcibly settled themselves in these lands ; should the UN be the facilitator this time round ? Within India the editorial argues for land for the marginalized. The editorial has failed to point out that arresting migration to cities is urgently needed in India. PURA is one solution and apparently 2000 cities will be covered under this mission. The other is new growth centres. Why can't each city of 5 lakhs be compulsorily be provided the equivalent of MIDC development - ie an industrial zone to house industries ? Cities between 2 lakhs to 5 lakhs can be compulsorily made to provide land for a software centre like Tidel Park in Chennai or Hinjewadi IT Park. This should arrest migration.
Sir, Satellite township is one of the options available to prevent urban sprawl. Also lets not forget that urban sprawl has its advantages. Disaster recovery is easier in a sprawl than in a city center. Also the lossess will be minimal. Having said that we need to check the population growth. we humans are not only taking away the land but also the habitat of trees and animals.Exotic species are going to be endangered. We also need to stop playing petty politics. PMK's Ramadoss prevented DMK from creating a satellite township. As a result we are having haphazard urban planning in chennai.
Please Email the Editor