Unbridled population growth and urban development are continuously stressing our resources with the provision of basic amenities in mega cities becoming an uphill task for the city managers.
Whether it is Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad or even Islamabad, the provision of basic facilities like water, sewerage, solid waste management, clean air, smooth mobility, and quality living always remains a challenge for them. Taking the example of Lahore – a city hosting 13 million people with a 900-kilometer-long road network has presented the sorry state of affairs in draining rainwater, cleanliness and transportation during the current monsoon season.
One major reason for unmanaged urbanization is the lack of government policies to manage the growing population and control the sprawl of illegal housing societies on the boundaries of major cities.
These residential societies, no doubt, meet the housing needs of people, but in the long run, they turn to be messy.
Over the past couple of decades, Pakistan has experienced the highest urbanization rate in South Asia and according to United Nations Population Division, nearly 50 per cent of Pakistan’s population will be living in cities by 2025.
Therefore, civic departments like Water and Sanitation Authority, Solid Waste Management Company, Punjab Local Government and Community Development, Lahore Development Authority, Environment Protection Department and some others are often seen overburdened in dispensation of their duties.
