Megacity - It is an essay about the Mega cities. PDF

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It is an essay about the Mega cities....

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Megacities are bad for the Developing World What is a megacity? A megacity is commonly an area with a population of 10 million people (Pilling, 2011). People leave the villages and rural areas and seek refuge in cities in search of a better life, amenities and, quality education, which in time leads to the formation of megacities. In countries with sufficient resources and access to these resources, it is easier to control a large population. Advanced governments can meet the needs of large cities using advanced tactics. In developing countries, however, the influx of people into cities becomes problematic for the whole country. The government is unable to manage the population and meet the basic needs of the citizens in the absence of sufficient facilities. Lack of adequate facilities to control vehicles, industries, and the use of unstandardized fuels causes severe air pollution. However, air pollution is not the only common type of environmental problem in megacities in developing countries. Noise pollution created by massive crowds and heavy traffic is another environmental issue that causes many problems for citizens in megacities. Along with environmental pollution, increasing crime is another major issue in megacities in developing countries. When the basic needs of the citizens are not met, they commit crimes such as theft, murder, corruption, and so on to fulfill their needs of living. Health problems are also one of the shortcomings of megacities in developing countries. With an unbalanced economy, developing countries are failing to provide adequate health facilities. In the absence of adequate facilities, diseases affect the most vulnerable sections of society, especially mothers and children. Moreover, the vast majority of citizens of megacities in developing countries are made up of poor people. As these people are not able to live in standard housing because of poverty, they are vulnerable to natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and so on. Therefore, megacities are considered to be bad for developing world because of creating environmental problems such as air and sound pollution, increasing the rate of crime as a result of poverty, putting vulnerable poor population in danger of environmental disasters and diseases, and endangering the health of the society especially mothers and children. Megacities in developing countries cause severe environmental pollution. The needs of large populations in megacities require more resources and, the supply of these needs with low quality and unstandardized equipment will more likely result in air pollution. Air pollution has been one of the controversial issues that have played a major role in thinning the protective layer of ozone and global warming apart from other damages. According to statistics released in the year 2010, China’s air was polluted by 34 million tons of SO2 and 11 million tons of NO2, largely from the use of cars, power plant emissions, and biomass burning (Reuben, 2013). People in megacities require more vehicles and more vehicles such as cars, trucks, trains, and aircraft require fuel, which produces harmful gases that have direct impacts on air pollution and the health of citizens. Also, the lack of standardization of transport routes and infrastructure in megacities in developing countries causes heavy traffic which also adds to the air pollution. Furthermore, there is a need for large factories and industries to provide the needs of a large city's population, which in developing countries employs unconventional ways of producing their products. These factories and industries also emit considerable amounts of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and, a variety of chemicals into the air, causing environmental pollution. Kabul, with its seven million population, is still not a megacity city, but with the abundance of non-standard vehicles with poor quality refined fuel and people's use of coal to

keep their homes warm has significantly contaminated the cities environment. Air pollution is not the only environmental problem in such cities in developing countries. The noise pollution caused by heavy road traffic due to unreliable urban transport routes, air traffic, and rail traffic causes a hearing problem, sleep disturbances and psychological effects on citizens. Thus, large cities in developing countries can cause severe environmental pollution. Environmental pollution is not the only shortcoming of large cities. Crime rates are higher in megacities in developing countries. In the absence of a balanced economy, developing countries fail to create an adequate amount of jobs for citizens of megacities leading to an increase in the poverty rate. According to Tnn (n.d,), with 39,035 crime cases, the megacity of Mumbai was rated first amongst 19 cities that topped India’s crime chart. Based on a proverb, when poverty enters the door, faith goes out of the window. Religion and faith are highly valued among human beings, and usually developing societies are more religious than developed societies. Belief in religion makes people dependent on religious values, and religious values usually prevent people from committing inhuman crimes. Though, most of the time, when people's basic needs such as food, clothing, and housing are not met, the value of religion is diminished among the people and providing basic living needs become the priority in life. It is here that in the absence of jobs, human beings no longer embrace religious values and commit crimes to meet their basic living needs. Kabul is not a very big city, but it has been difficult for the government to meet the needs of this population and has always failed to provide the standard of living for its citizens. As the country's capital, Kabul still lacks electricity. Kabul's schools are not standardized and their teachers lack sufficient knowledge and experience. Teaching is considered a lowly job and most of the time the salary of a teacher is less than the salary of an illiterate worker, which has reduced the quality of education. In the absence of standard teaching, responsible citizens are not delivered to society, which, in turn, contributes to the growth of crime rates. So with the lack of jobs in megacities in developing countries, people are more likely to commit crimes. Also, the population of megacities are more vulnerable to environmental disasters and diseases. According to Kotkin (2011), many of the Asian, African, and South American populations are living in slums. They do not have access to standardized education, transportation, electricity, and essential governmental infrastructure. The inhabitants of the large cities in the developing world are mostly poor people who have left their villages in hopes of a better life. According to Tnn (n.d,), in Mumbai slum covers just 6 percent of the land yet holds 60 percent of the population. Poor living conditions and lack of government support make poor people vulnerable to all kinds of diseases and natural pests, which sometimes lead to the deaths of a large number of people. A research by Columbia University shows that exposure of mothers to the polluted air can result in the birth of children with depression, anxiety and attention-span problems (Wong, 2013). Lack of adequate and standard facilities in megacities results in pollution which can affect the health of the population. Therefore, most of the megacities’ populations living in the slum are more likely affected by debases and natural pests. Proponents of megacities argue that these cities play a major role in the development of the country's economy. They believe in a larger population, there is sufficient human and physical resources. With sufficient human resources, the city resources are used, which in turn contributes to the country's economic growth. They also believe that a large population will

provide economic security. According to Glaeser (2011), a small town relies on a small number of commercial companies to survive. If these companies fail, the whole city will be affected. But megacities have a diverse economy. When a company fails, in other parts of the city, other companies meet the needs of the people. For this reason, such cities are growing. Also, the widespread presence of workers and human resource or labor keeps the economy of the city and country safe. Hence, proponents of megacities believe in the argument that these cities contributes to the economy of the developing world. To conclude, megacities are harmful to developing countries by causing severe air and noise pollution, increasing crime rates due to poverty, and affecting vulnerable people living in slum. The benefits of these cities are negligible compared to their damages. Governments in developing countries should make use of the opportunities available to create opportunities for better education and better living to prevent people from moving from villages to cities. To protect the environment and the health of all citizens, governments must prevent population growth in one area. References Kotkin, J. (2011, August 9). The Problem With Megacities. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/megacities/2011/04/04/the-problem-withmegacities/#c04eeeb6f271. Glaeser, E. (2011, May 13). New Land Of Opportunity. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0509/global-2000-11-edward-glaeser-slums-dharavilands-opportunity.html#77d3929a4bb3. Pilling, D. (2011, November 5). The Rise of the Megacity. Retrieved from https://slate.com/humaninterest/2011/11/the-rise-of-the-megacity.html. Reuben, A. (2013, March 22). Carbon Copy: Why Chinas Air-Pollution Problem Isnt Unique. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/03/carbon-copy-why-chinas-airpollution-problem-isnt-unique/274221/. Tnn. (n.d.). Mumbai third in crime rate, but tops in offences against elderly: Mumbai News - Times of India. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/mumbai-third-in-crimerate-but-tops-in-offences-against-elderly/articleshow/71713846.cms. Wong, E. (2013, April 23). Smog is altering childhood in China's cities. Retrieved from https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/smog-is-altering-childhood-in-chinas-cities-519956....