The essentials
Urbanisation is the increase in the share of a country's population living in urban areas. In India it is driven both by natural growth in towns and by rural-to-urban migration. People move from villages because of push factors such as poverty, high population pressure on land, lack of jobs and basic facilities, and natural disasters, and are attracted by pull factors in cities such as better jobs, higher wages, education and health services, and entertainment.
Rapid and unplanned urban growth has led to pressure on housing, transport, water, sanitation and electricity, and to the growth of slums.
Key points
- Slums are residential areas with poorly built, congested houses, narrow lanes, poor ventilation, and lack of basic amenities like drinking water, sanitation, electricity and drainage.
- Slum dwellers often work in the informal sector as labourers, domestic workers, street vendors and rickshaw pullers, with low and irregular incomes.
- Health problems are common due to unhygienic conditions, poor nutrition and lack of medical care.
- Social problems include crime, drug abuse, and lack of schooling for children.
- Dharavi in Mumbai is one of the largest slums in Asia; it shows both severe hardship and a vibrant informal economy.
- Most rural-urban migrants are men seeking work; families often stay behind in villages, creating effects on both source and destination areas.
- Migration brings remittances to source regions but can also lead to loss of young workers there.
Exam tips
Distinguish push from pull factors in case-based questions, and be able to describe slum conditions in a few points.
Common mistakes
Slums are not only a result of poverty in cities; they reflect the gap between rapid migration and the slow growth of affordable housing and services.