Megacities in Asia: Benefits or burdens?

Timon Singh

In developing countries such as India, megacities such as Delhi and Mumbai hold an irresistible attraction - a promise of work and a better standard of living, food and energy. However, as the cities' populations swell, these megalopolises are struggling to cope.

Half of the world's megacities are in Asia, population centres with more than 10 million people living in them. Delhi and Mumbai are currently the fourth and fifth largest cities in the world with populations of 22.4 million and 22.3 million people respectively. Most of the population is made up of workers migrating in from the countryside in order to look for work and opportunity. Life in the city offers the lure of a better way of life for people and their families but as the cities reach bursting point, huge pressures are put on their infrastructures.

The reality of megacities

In Tokyo (the largest city in the world with 33.8 million people), an ever increasing migrant population has caused water shortages and a constant fight for land to cultivate, develop and live. Problems range from living space to simply being able to fit on to the subway during rush hour. However, in developing countries the problems are much more dire... and they are look to get worse.

The world's population is expected to soar over the next 30 years, and much of this ill be in urban cities. In 2000, 6.9 percent of the world's population was living in cities with populations more than 5 million. However by 2015, this figure is expected to rise to 8.7 percent. As such, many feel that such large cities will become manageable with quality of life falling as a result.

A recent example would be Mumbai, where the population has doubled in the past 25 years and millions of people live in ramshackle slums with almost no access to clean water. For a city that is struggling to be a major cultural centre, it is a massive problem.

Water is rationed with the municipal supply only switched on for a couple of hours a day at best. As a result, there is often only one moment in the day for people to get enough water for their needs, resulting in hundreds of people queuing with buckets and jerry cans.

The lure of megacities

Despite such infrastructure problems, many feel that increasing the size of the cities is the only way to lift much of the population out of poverty. A World Bank report earlier this year (The World Development Report 2009) says the process of migration should be welcomed.

Indermit S Gill, director of the World Development Report, was quoted as saying upon the report's release, "Instead of worrying about the size of metropolises, cities and towns, the government should worry about making sure that these places work well."

That's easier said than done.

With more and more people flooding the cities everyday for work and a better way of life, local authorities are struggling to cope.Chandrashekhar Prabhu, a prominent architect said to the BBC, "There's no planning whatsoever, and every day more and more people arrive in the city (Mumbai), and the problems keep getting worse."

Despite this, people come from the more rural areas of the country as 'city dwellers' often have a considerable advantage over their rural compatriots. Of course, this isn't translated well when migrants end up in slums or shanty towns. In Bangladesh, the city of Dhaka (which is said to be the fastest growing Asian city) the pace of growth has generated extreme crowding and poor health services, resulting in the spread of disease.

It is a problem not only in Bangladesh, but also in the likes of Pakistan, India, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea where 'mega cities' such as Tokyo, Jakarta and Seoul are struggling to keep up with their increasing size. They're developing at an incredible rate, but the sad fact is that the populations' needs are outpacing government initiatives.