Rural-urban Migration

Question 1

Why do people leave rural areas?

Answer 1

Poverty, lack of job opportunities, lack of services such as education/healthcare.

Question 2

Why do people move to urban areas?

Answer 2

Opportunity to get a formal, better payed job and better access to education and healthcare.

Question 3

What are the social challenges from rapid growth?

Answer 3

-Overcrowding - leads to lower quality of life, as there are not enough services/resources.
-Poor housing - not enough proper housing is available so people are left to build their own on whatever vacant land they can find.
-Poverty - rural-urban migrants expect to find formal paid jobs, but many are forced to enter the informal sector where incomes are variable.

Question 4

What are the environmental challenges of rapid growth?

Answer 4

-Traffic flows increase - transport infrastructure cannot be expanded quickly enough to cope and congestion leads to increased air pollution.
-Lack of planning and regulation - industries/businesses appear quickly, often without consideration of waste disposal so air, water and land pollution increases.
-Lack of waste disposal - sewage and industrial wastes are dumped.