ENGLISH ESSAY ‘urbanization’
FROM 600 TO 625 WORDS
There
is a continuous flow of people into cities from the villages. This is
particularly true of big cities. Cities like Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi are
among the highest density cities. They have actually become hives overcrowding
with human beings.
Large-scale
urbanization leads to several complications in cities. Civic amenities fall
short of needs. Law and order problem becomes worse. Price of essential
commodities shoots up. Most important of all, the housing problem becomes
acute. The house-rents go very high. The lower-income groups find it impossible
to live in comfortable houses. The outcome of this is slums in cities. Many a
times, these slums come up right under the shadows of posh palaces and
multi-storeyed buildings.
Several
factors are responsible for people rushing to cities. The first and foremost is
the population explosion. It can no longer feed all the inhabitants in the
villages. All villagers are not landowners. Earlier, a large majority used to
survive as agricultural lab our. As their number has increased, not all of them
are needed as agricultural labour. So, they leave for the neighboring cities in
search of work. Most of them find work in the cities as unskilled labourers.
Their women also join them. Many of them get work as construction workers or
get jobs as house-maids. They somehow find means of survival. This section of
population begins by sleeping on the pavements. Then gradually they build
shelters for themselves in hovels. These hovels become regular shelters after
some time.
Industrialization
and technological progress are also responsible for the increasing
urbanization. More and more large-scale and small-scale industries are set up
in and around cities and their number always increases. They need a large labour
force which comes from the neighboring villages. An opportunity to get a
regular job in a factory with a regular income is welcomed by landless workers.
They find these jobs profitable and readily leave their homes. Over the years,
they call their relatives and friends to get jobs in the factories, with the
result the cities expand.
The
village young folks are getting increased opportunities for education. Their
attitude to agriculture as a source of livelihood has changed. These young men
do not want to continue with the vocation of their forefathers. After acquiring
a graduation degree, they regard agriculture as below their dignity. So, they
also rush to cities to seek jobs as clerks. The city population goes up and the
city has to expand. Slowly, the surrounding villages get absorbed in the cities
and are urbanised. Among other factors, the lure of the city, the glamour of
the multi-storeyed buildings and the hustle and bustle of the city also
attracted some villagers. They come to cities with the intention of sharing the
thrills of city life. Having come to the city they get disillusioned. They have
to live in unhygienic slums. They, sometimes, curse their stars for having left
their village homes but by then it is too late and they cannot return to their
village. They become part of the large crowds in the cities. All these factors,
over the years, lave led to increasing urbanization. Slums have become regular
features of the cities. These slums lack even the basic necessities of life,
fresh drinking water, electricity, public amenities. There is slush all round
because of open drains.
The
central Government has been conscious of the sad condition of the
slum-dwellers. However, it will not be an easy task to abolish the slums from
the face of cities altogether. The present slum-dwellers are given alternative
accommodation. But more people keep on pouring into the cities. So long as
poverty and unemployment in villages persist, the unemployed landless labourers
will continue to run to cities.
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