Urbanisation and environment: Challenges and solutions

By: Bosede Ayeni

AS of the year1800, only about 8 per cent of the global population lived in cities. The figure rose to about 16 per cent by 1900. Prior to that time, the vast majority of people lived in rural areas.  The narrative changed in the twentieth century. Industrialization, pull of job and economic opportunity in cities, access to services like healthcare and education drew people from the countryside into rapidly growing urban centres. Globalisation and the concentration of industry in urban hubs accelerate the trend even further in developing nations, such as Nigeria.  Today, approximately 55 per cent of the world’s population, more than 4 billion people resides in the urban areas. And the trend is not abating at all. According to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects, cities could add roughly 2.5 billion more residents by 2050, when around two out of every three people on earth are expected to live in urban settings. Urbanisation has reshaped how we live, work, and consume resources. But while cities drive economic growth and innovation, they also place enormous pressure on the natural environment. From polluted air to shrinking green spaces, loss of habitat, and resource depletion, the environmental costs of rapid urban expansion are significant. Urbanization also leads to deforestation, elimination of natural ecosystems, emissions of gaseous and liquid wastes, overuse of resources and finally poor disposal of wastes.

Nigeria with a population of about 250 million people occupies a total land area of 983, 213 km2 with the activities and the interaction of these millions of people with the environment leaving ineffaceable mark on the landscape. Urbanization in Nigeria is characterized by city slums with serious environmental consequences caused by failure of development measures to keep pace with the rate of population growth, and this is evident in disposal of savage and refuse problems, which of course is quite serious because of the rapid rate of generation of non-biodegradable materials. Due to the rapid growth of the cities and the attendant inability of social services and infrastructure to keep pace with the rate of growth, environmental conditions have and continue to deteriorate at an alarming and worrisome rate. Inadequate storm drains, dumping of refuse in drainage lines and construction of houses close to and even on the natural water channels have been shown to be responsible in that order for the rising cases of flood witnessed recently in Lagos and urban other centers across the country.

The environmental problems are associated with the increasing growth of urban slums, including overcrowding in squalid housing conditions, poor quality or unavailability of basic infrastructures and social services, such as water and sewage facilities, and even lack of access routes. There are evidences everywhere of rapid decline in environmental quality and human living conditions, occasioned by rapid increase in human numbers. In the quest of the people to acquire their seemingly endless need for food, shelter, recreation and infrastructural facilities, changes occur, and unwise use of the land and its resources produce negative impacts on the environment.  One thing is certain, urbanization is not going to reverse. In the years ahead, more people will make cities home, but the decisions made today about how those cities grow and function will shape the environment for generations to come. The good news is that cities are also centres of innovation, and many are already coming up with sustainable solutions.

Understanding these impacts and the solutions available is essential for building a sustainable future. Looking ahead, the situation in our country requires more attention and effective coordination among the concerned institutions; federal, state and local governments, non-government organizations, organized  private sector, critical stakeholders, professional organizations in the built sector and local communities in reducing, stemming or mitigating the consequences of environmental degradation is highly required. It was not until 1998 that the federal government passed the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) decree (Act) setting up FEPA to work out rules governing the handling of Nigeria’s environment. Effective urban governance requires investing in data collection and geographic information systems to enable the government and professional organizations involved in city planning make informed decisions. It means aligning building codes, land use regulations, and transportation policies with sustainability goals. And it means ensuring that the voices of vulnerable communities – those who bear the greatest environmental burden – are included in planning processes. Environmental protection techniques need to be cultured, home-grown and the framework should be community based.

There is need for investment in awareness created programmes from the grassroots in terms of orientation. Environmental awareness education should be included in the primary and post-primary school curricula. Environmental protection agents at the local government level should be empowered to punish every offender. Also, an appropriate infrastructure investment in terms of construction of unblocked drainage patterns, flood defenses, improved health care and assistance shelters as part of community emergency preparedness programmes, changes in water and land use management policies, appropriate town planning, and provision of facilities to encourage the use of water ways for more higher values such as transportation.

The challenge lies in scaling these solutions fast enough and ensuring that the benefits of sustainable urbanization reach all communities – not just the wealthiest ones. Environmental sustainability and social equity must go hand in hand for cities to thrive in a climate-changed world.

•Ayeni is a Lagos based estate surveyor and valuer