Essay 9: Urban Overpopulation- Causes and Solutions

Overpopulation in many major urban cities around the world is a major problem. What are the causes of this? How this problem can be solved?

Over the past decades, metropolitans have seen a massive increase in population. This is attributable to people migrating from small towns and cities to urban centers in search of better earning and education opportunities. Providing the same amenities in those areas, therefore, offer an effective solution.

The foremost reason for people migrating from less developed areas to developed cities is the quest for better-earning opportunities. Multinational companies, banks, and offices are usually located in big cities and attract labor force towards urban areas. For instance, in India’s villages, the only source of income is farming and cattle breeding; and income is usually not enough to meet both ends meet, leading an increasing number of villagers to cities in search of better job opportunities. Another reason is the provision of better higher education institutions. The smaller towns and even cities lack such universities and colleges. In order to get their children equipped with a high-quality education, families usually migrate to better and bigger cities, overburdening the already crowded cities.

One such solution to curb this increasing growth of population in big cities is to plan the development of new industries in less developed towns. This can provide livelihood opportunities to the local people near their homes, omitting the need to migrate to cities for similar opportunities. Similarly, more and more vocational and technical knowledge awarding institutes need to be established in villages, small towns, and cities. This would also curtail the incessant spike in population in major cities as there wouldn’t be any need for many families to migrate to big cities as a whole for education purposes.

To conclude, the non-availability of suitable jobs and lack of specialized educational facilities in rural areas has led to an excessive population in big cities. This problematic situation can be resolved by the development of other cities and towns both economically and educationally.