Dhaka faces a sharp decline in livable city ranking. Why?
It is no surprise that that Dhaka experienced a sharp fall in the ranking of livable cities. Brundtland (1987) defined sustainability as the development that meets the demands of the current generation without any compromise to the requirements of the future generation. Whatever the definition of sustainable development is, it is clear by now that there must be more than just attaining sustainable development. Dhaka seriously lacks in this regard.
The planet’s natural capital or resources are being eaten by the humans as well as the animals. The condition of the ecosystem has deteriorated over the last 15-20 or more years. Undoubtedly urban areas and cities across the world have contributed much into making cities what they are today. The cities in many cases have turned into urban slums.
People from the rural areas were are forced to move to urban areas due to several pull factors including access to education, health facilities, food and water. Another vital reason for the internal and external migration is the unbalance bio-diversity and low fertility of cultivable lands.
Among 140 cities around the world, the London based Economist Intelligence Unit termed Dhaka to be the second most worst livable city. The indices of livability includes a city’s crime rates, natural environment, access to quality health care, education, infrastructure standard, and political and social stability.
A major crucial question is why have Dhaka become overpopulated and what pull factors has contributed in turning Dhaka to become over crowded? The first reason is certainly the climate change. Bangladesh is unfortunately one of the worst victims of environmental degradation. Geographically the country is a low-lying one, and with the hot weather and ice melting the sea level of the country is rising. Several of the country’s rivers are sourced from the upstream, as a result of which the forests, fisheries and agriculture of the country are damaged by the salinity intrusion with the falling water levels.
To add to the woes, there is shortage of foodstuff making food security a major concern. Every year there are incidents of storm surges, cyclones and floods which also forces people to displace. Furthermore, desertification started to creep in to the country’s northern areas destroying its crops. As a result of all these, people tend to shift or migrate to Dhaka searching for a better and more secured livelihood. As a result, the number of slums in the city has increased along with the rise in anti-social activities.
To make Dhaka a decent livable city once again, the urban experts need to rethink strategies. Coordination among various government departments are also required to ensure that the development is sustainable and required infrastructure is ensured.
The planet’s natural capital or resources are being eaten by the humans as well as the animals. The condition of the ecosystem has deteriorated over the last 15-20 or more years. Undoubtedly urban areas and cities across the world have contributed much into making cities what they are today. The cities in many cases have turned into urban slums.
People from the rural areas were are forced to move to urban areas due to several pull factors including access to education, health facilities, food and water. Another vital reason for the internal and external migration is the unbalance bio-diversity and low fertility of cultivable lands.
Among 140 cities around the world, the London based Economist Intelligence Unit termed Dhaka to be the second most worst livable city. The indices of livability includes a city’s crime rates, natural environment, access to quality health care, education, infrastructure standard, and political and social stability.
A major crucial question is why have Dhaka become overpopulated and what pull factors has contributed in turning Dhaka to become over crowded? The first reason is certainly the climate change. Bangladesh is unfortunately one of the worst victims of environmental degradation. Geographically the country is a low-lying one, and with the hot weather and ice melting the sea level of the country is rising. Several of the country’s rivers are sourced from the upstream, as a result of which the forests, fisheries and agriculture of the country are damaged by the salinity intrusion with the falling water levels.
To add to the woes, there is shortage of foodstuff making food security a major concern. Every year there are incidents of storm surges, cyclones and floods which also forces people to displace. Furthermore, desertification started to creep in to the country’s northern areas destroying its crops. As a result of all these, people tend to shift or migrate to Dhaka searching for a better and more secured livelihood. As a result, the number of slums in the city has increased along with the rise in anti-social activities.
To make Dhaka a decent livable city once again, the urban experts need to rethink strategies. Coordination among various government departments are also required to ensure that the development is sustainable and required infrastructure is ensured.
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