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International Journal on Emerging Technologies 8(1): 103-108(2017)

ISSN No. (Print): 0975-8364

ISSN No. (Online): 2249-3255

Urbanization, Population and Environment in India:

A Review
Satya Prakash Panwar, Mohit Sharma and Navin Solanki
M. Plan Urban Planning, Department of Architecture and Planning,
Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India.
(Corresponding author: Satya Prakash Panwar)
(Received 22 December, 2016 accepted 10 January, 2017)
(Published by Research Trend, Website: www.researchtrend.net)
ABSTRACT: Urbanization is not purely a contemporary marvel, but a speedy and astonishing alteration
from traditional rural/ agriculture based economy to urban-based industry. This paper examines the
definition, trend and pace of urbanization in Indian context. Also, it exemplifies the relationship b/w
urbanization and population in same context. The interfaces between urbanization, population and
environment have often been observed instinctively. This paper illuminates the complexities and contextual
specificities of these three relationships. Most of Indian cities are facing the challenges of “environmental
decrepitude” due to rapid growth urbanization and population. These both are responsible for serious
environmental mutilation in India. This paper elucidates the effect of population and urbanization on
environment through the aspect of transportation, solid waste, waste water, agriculture land loss and climate
change. Also, the end of this review concludes the challenges and current policies and strategies for
environment sustainability in India.
Keywords: Urbanization, Population, Environment Sustainability.
I. INTRODUCTION
Urbanization is closely accompanied to transformation, Population pressure naturally leads to overexploitation
economic development, and also called as sociological of natural resources and often results in contamination
process of rationalization. It is now becoming a and exhaustion of scarce resources.
worldwide marvel, but its complications are more Today, increasing population and rapid development
noticeable in emerging nations. There is rapid growth are affecting the sustainability of environment. The
in population with increase in urbanization. Individuals process of urbanization is an enormous dynamic
have sought to comprehend the link between both. This influence of economic growth, leads to additional
review tries to understand the relationships population infrastructure and production, which increase energy
and urbanization. The chapter begins with a short consumption, resulting carbon dioxide emissions cause
review of the theories for understanding urbanization a global warming (Parikh andShukla,1995). Hence, to
and its pace & trends in Indian context. It then proceeds achieve environment sustainability, the relation b/w
to understand the relationship between of urbanization urbanization, population growth and environment has to
& population in same context. Urbanization directly be understand. In this order, paper illuminates the
contributes to urban environment degradation. complexities and contextual specificities of these three
Sustainability of environment is already a mammoth relationships. This paper elucidates the effect of
task in India is going to be more complicated with the population and urbanization on environment through
increase in urbanization. In India, urbanization is play a the aspect of transportation, solid waste, waste water,
key role in rapid population growth and expansion of agriculture land loss and climate change. Also, the end
developmental activities, and its result well documented of this review concludes the challenges and current
in both great serious resource depletion and degradation policies and strategies for environment sustainability in
of the environment(Duraiappah,1996; Nagdeve,2007; India.
Sharma 2008).
 Panwar, Sharma and Solanki 104

II. URBANIZATION communication take place. Third phase is known as

terminal phase where urban population exceeds 70% or
Urbanization is not purely a contemporary marvel, but a more. At this stage level of urbanization remains more
speedy and astonishing alteration from traditional rural/ or less same or constant (Davis, 1965). Rate of growth
agriculture based economy to urban-based industry. of urban population and total population becomes same
The definition of urbanization is varied according to at this terminal stage (Jaysawal and Saha,2014).
various authors belonging from various discipline. In
term of conversion of economy base, it is defined as an III. URBANIZATION IN INDIA
index of transformation from traditional rural
Urbanization in India is neither exceptional nor
economies to modern industrial one (Davis, 1965). In
exclusive but is parallel to a world-wide phenomenon.
term of conversion of occupation, it is defined as
Indian urbanization has continued as it has elsewhere in
occupational shift from agriculture to urban-based
the world as a part. In same context, urbanization is
industry and services is one part of the change (Siva
characterized by continuous concentration of
Ramakrishnan and Singh, 2005). In term of people
population and activities in large cities with backward
settlement, it is defined as progressive concentration of
areas and smaller towns tending to stagnate.
population in urban or switch from spread out and low
density settlement to one of concentrated urban areas A. Trend of urbanization in India
(Davis,1962). It is closely related to trade rebellion, India portions further most distinguishing features of
economic development with demographic explosion urbanization in the developing nations. Number of
and poverty induced due to rural-urban migration. It is urban agglomeration /town has grown from 1827 in
influenced by a numerous of social, political, and 1901 to 7935 in 2011. Number of total population has
economic forces that cumulatively have the potential to increased from 23.84 crores in 1901 to 121 crores in
profoundly affect nations and peoples. It is seen as a 2011. Whereas number of population residing in urban
hindrance to growth, but one must fundamental factor areas has increased from 2.58 crores in 1901 to 37.71
for the economic growth within industrial countries. crore in2011. In last decade 2001-11, the urban
population increased from 28.6 crores to 37.7 crores,
There are three main phases in the urbanization process.
accounted as 31 percent of total population. It is
The very first stage is the primary phase reflected by
assumed that the urban population will increase to 60
rural customary society with predominance in
crores and account as 40 percent of total population by
agriculture and dispersed pattern of settlements. Phase
2031. This process of urbanization in India is shown in
two denotes to acceleration stage where basic
Fig 1. It imitates a continuing increasing tendency of
restructuring of the economy and investments in social
urbanization.
overhead capitals including transportation,

Table 1: Population, Trend and Degree of Urbanization in India.

Census Number of Urban Total Urban Rural Percent Percent Urban-Rural
Year Agglomeration Population Population Population Urban Rural Ratio (%)
1901 1827 238396327 25851873 212544454 10.84 89.16 12.16
1911 1825 252093390 25941633 226151757 10.29 89.71 11.47
1921 1949 251321213 28086167 223235046 11.18 88.82 12.58
1931 2072 278977238 33455989 245521249 11.99 88.01 13.63
1941 2250 318660580 44153297 274507283 13.86 86.14 16.08
1951 2843 361088090 62443709 298644381 17.29 82.71 20.91
1961 2363 439234771 78936603 360298168 17.97 82.03 21.91
1971 2590 598159652 109113977 489045675 18.24 81.76 22.31
1981 3378 683329097 159462547 523866550 23.34 76.66 30.44
1991 3768 844324222 217177625 627146597 25.72 74.28 34.63
2001 5161 1027015247 285354954 741660293 27.78 72.22 38.48
2011 7935 1210193422 377105760 833087662 31.16 68.84 45.27
Source: - Various census reports of India (1901-11)

From table 1, it is also clear that percent urban has index measuring number of urbanites for each rural
increased from 11% in 1901 to 31% in 2011, whereas person in an areal unit experiences an increasing trend
percent rural has shown steady decrease from 89% in in the process of urbanization in India.
1901 to 69% in 2011. Urban rural ratio is a simple
 Panwar, Sharma and Solanki 105

140
100
120
90
100 80
70
80 60
60 50
40
40 30
20 20
10
0 0

1901
1911
1921
1931
1941
1951
1961
1971
1981
1991
2001
2011
1901
1911
1921
1931
1941
1951
1961
1971
1981
1991
2001
2011

Total Population Urban Population Percent Urban

Rural Population Percent Rural
Urban-Rural Ratio (%)

Fig. 1. Population growth of India (In Crores). Fig. 2. Degree of Urbanization in India.
IV. RELATIONSHIP B/WURBANIZATION AND and abandoned urbanization leads to environmental
POPULATION mutilation and degradation in the quality of urban life.
In Indian context, urbanization is defined as the VI. RELATION B/W URBANIZATION,
continuous growth of population. The criteria of urban POPULATION & ENVIRONMENT
area in India is also based on the population dynamics
The interactions between urbanization, population and
thresholds. The pattern of urbanization in India is
environment have often been viewed mechanistically.
characterized by continuous concentration of
There are many efforts made to understand the
population and activities in large cities (Reza and
relationship between these three change by various
Kundu,1978). Increasing urbanization means increasing
authors. Urbanization and population growth are solely
in population which ultimately shows increase in no. of
responsible for overexploitation of natural resources,
urban areas. Hence it is clear that urbanization is mainly
results in contamination and exhaustion of scarce
a product of demographic explosion. As per the same,
resources (Lakshmana, 2008; Ganesh et al. 2007). In
urbanization is directly linked with no. urban areas and
general, these both are also frequently blamed for
their population growth.
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and leads to climate
V. FEATURES OF URBANIZATION change, results in environment unsustainability.
Therefore, to maintain the environmental sustainability,
Urbanization in India is more oriented to demographic
it is necessary to understand the relationship b/w them
explosion and occurs not due to urban pull but due to
and also how urbanization and population growth
rural push. In India, urbanization is without
affects the natural environment through the aspect of
industrialization and strong economic base. It leads to
transportation, solid waste, waste water, agriculture
unemployment for those migrant rural poor and results
land loss and climate change.
in transfer from rural poverty to urban poverty. It is
further results in urban involution, urban decay, A. Effect on Air Quality
unevenness & lopsidedness of urbanization. Uneven& Air pollution is one of the serious environmental
lopsided urbanization is generating social and economic concerns in India, where majority of the population is
inequalities which warrant social conflicts, crimes and exposed to poor air quality.
anti-social activities (Kundu and Gupta, 1996). Uneven
 Panwar, Sharma and Solanki 106
It causes health related problems such as respiratory 1997). The continuous increase in generation of solid
disease, risk of developing cancer and other serious waste are resulting in serious air pollution due to
ailments etc. Pollution or mutilation of air quality is inefficient current practices of the uncontrolled
mainly due to rapid urbanization and uncontrolled dumping of waste on the outskirts of cities (Vij, 2013;
population. These both are directly contributing to air Kumar et al., 2009).
pollution mainly due to increase in traffic and
B. Effect on water quality
generation of waste in outsized quantity.
The continuous increase in waste water generation due
Transportation. Cities are growing in terms of urbanization and population growth and its discharge in
population and physical size due to rapid urbanization, water bodies without scientific treatment leads to water
results in increase in demand for travel, average trip pollution in India, the per capita and total waste water
length and change in travel behavior (Chowdhury, generation increased from 116 lpcd and 7007 mld in
2013). It results in the dominance of the component of 1977 to 121 lpcd and 38254 in 2009 respectively. It is
private vehicles in urban transportation system (Tiwari, projected that the generation of gross waste water will
2003). The predominant factor influencing mobility increase to 120000 mld by 2051 (Bhardwaj,2005).
trends of Indian cities are urbanization and rapid Water pollution is a major problem in India because
population growth. The number of vehicles per 1,000 only about 10% of the waste water generated is treated;
people in Indian metropolitan cities have grown rapidly the rest is discharged as it is into our water bodies. Due
since 2001. Private vehicles like cars and two-wheelers to this, pollutants enter into groundwater, rivers and
grew at rate of 9.6 per cent and 10.3 per cent per other water bodies, which results as contamination of
annum. In 2011, 22 cities posted a growth rate of 8.7 ground and surface water bodies (Garg, 2012).
per cent in the total number of vehicle registrations or a
C. Effect on land cover & agriculture land
share of nearly 28 percent (39.7 million) of the total
As urbanization and population increases, so does the
vehicles in the country (141.8 million) (Sharma et al.,
necessity for new infrastructure upsurges, which results
2011). Two-wheelers are a dominant form of private
in sprawling of cities. Sprawl has been criticized for
transport on Indian roads constituting about 71.8 per
changing the pattern of land-cover and eliminating
cent of the 141.8 million registered vehicles in 2011
agricultural lands. Today, most of Indian cities are
(IIHS, 2011).
facing the problem of sprawling and uncontrolled
The rapidly increasing levels of motor vehicle
conversion of land cover, results in imbalance
ownership and use has resulted in an alarming increase
environment and causes unsustainability (Fazal, 2001).
of negative externality of air pollution due to emission
It is reported that roughly 50% of India's land resources
of CO, SO2, NO2, PM (Particulate Matter) and RSPM
are degraded (Varughese et al. 2009). Over a fifty-year
(Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter. According to
period, the area of land under non-agricultural uses has
available air quality data, of 180 Indian cities, there is
more than doubled, from 9.36 million hectares in 1951
an extensive concentration of pollution (Kamyotra et
to 22.97 million hectares in 2001 (Chadchan and
al., 2012). The ambient air pollution in terms of
Shankar, 2012).
suspended particulate matter in many metropolitan
cities in India exceeds the limit set by World Health D. Effect on climate
Organization (Singh, 2008). In Delhi, Kolkata and Concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Mumbai, the average annual emission of SPM is 543, has increased rapidly due to urbanization and rapid
394 and 226 micrograms per cubic meter respectively, growth of population, resulting in significant increase in
while the WHO standard is 75. In India, it is identified the temperature of the earth causing global warming,
around 70 cities, representing over 80 per cent of the which ultimately responsible to effect of climate change
cities that were being monitored, that were not of cities. According to study conducted by five
complying with the NOx and PM standards (CPCB, organization TERI Poznan, Mckinsey India, TERI
2008). MoEF, IRADe AA and NCAER CGE shows that per
Solid waste. Rapid Urbanization and population growth capita and total greenhouse gases emission of CO2 has
contributes enhanced municipal solid waste generation. an increasing trend. As per these organizations it is
According to Indian energy portal, the generation of per assumed that per capita and total greenhouse gases
capita and total urban municipal waste increased from emission of CO2 will increase to 5.15, 3.1, 2.9,2.1,2.2
375 g/day and 14.9 MT/yr. in 1971 to 490g/day and tons and 7.3, 5.7, 4.9, 4.3, 4 billion tones respectively
48.5 MT/yr. in 1997 respectively. It is assumed that the by 2032 (Climate modelling forum, India: 2009). India
generation of per capita waste increased and total urban is third biggest greenhouse gas emitter contributing
municipal waste will increase to 700 g/day and 97 about 5.3% of the total global emissions.
MT/yr. respectively by 2025 (double the amount in
 Panwar, Sharma and Solanki 107
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