We worry about the future as we have never worried before. And we have a reason as we know our lakes are dying, our rivers are growing filthier daily, our atmosphere is becoming increasingly polluted, our lives have been under different health problems. We are aware of why this is. This is an address of environmental pollution leading to sliding of cities towards disaster. We are in trouble as a helpless species. Whatever it was, it is gone. We shall never regain that morning eagerness. It would be better to think for the better tomorrow of the Jharkhand to run on the path of sustainable way of development making a balance between environment and urbanisation.

1. Narayan(2014) in his study says that Although urbanisation and development are closely associated, there is no direct correlation between the two. The relationship between these two elements changes geographically and across time.

2. Davis (1965) says that in addition to the population concentration in cities and towns, urbanisation also plays a role in the change of economic activity. Urbanisation is revealed by changes in the socio-economic, demographic, technological, and environmental facets of life in a particular society on a spatial, sectoral, and temporal scale.

3. United Nation (2014) said that In India, the degree of urbanisation has been rising over time. Only 25.8 million people made up India's urban population at the turn of the 20th century (10.8%), but that number has since risen to 377 million (31.2%).

4. According to Anisujjaman (2015), one of the important aspects of the process of socioeconomic and human development is the process of urbanisation. Development is a multifaceted concept that is explained in terms of socioeconomic development. Development includes a number of indicators, including environment, social relationships, culture, and the arts, as well as factors like political freedom, decent standards of living, health and life expectancy, and education.

5. Some see it as primarily a process of population redistribution from rural to urban areas and from one region to another as well as a process of ongoing social separation between the rural and urban components of society. As the economy undergoes structural change, changing employment prospects are the fundamental cause of urbanisation (Jones, 2003).

6.  The developing countries have not discovered a lot of evidence supporting the western experience of urbanisation after industrialization, i.e. economic growth. According to Dyson (2011), "perhaps the most significant difficulty with this explanation is that urbanisation has been occurring in recent decades in places where there is little or no economic growth."

Associated Words

1. Urbanisation: It is an increase in the number of people living in towns and cities migrated from villages.

It began in India to accelerate after independence due to country’s adoption of mixed economy which gave rise to development of private sector. According to the 1901 census, the population residing in India was 11.4% which increased to 28.53% by the 2001 census and is now currently 34% in 2017 according to the World Bank report. According to the survey by the United Nations, in 2030, 40.76% of country’s population is expected to reside in urban areas. The growth is mainly uneven but not skewed and not concentrated to a single city of the country.

So far as the consequence of Jharkhand concerns, Ranchi as capital city of its own is expanding both vertical and horizontal resulting in lots of problems like irregular electric supply, water supply ground water depletion, air pollution, noise pollution, municipal waste disposal, failure of drainage systems, traffic jams etc. surface water is being contaminated. These are the adverse impact of urbanisation in the capital city, Ranchi.

2. Sustainable Development: The concept of sustainable development was first used by the world conservation strategy presented by the International Union for the conservation of nature and natural resources in 1980. It was first time defined by the Brundtland Report in 1987.

Sustainable development is meant for that development which may meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of the future generation. The table below may summarize the objectives of sustainable development and subject matter.   

All these are responsible factor but stand in proper functioning if there is cleanness in environment. Regretted increase in urbanisation and synthetic life has led to damage of environmental quality. This is why we are facing the curse of nature in form of least rain, drought, flood, different types of diseases we never faced before.

3. Environmental Issues: Human beings since the beginning have utilized environmental resources for their existence. During the passage of civilization, their wants have multiplied. But he did not care for the physical and natural environment. Therefore, environment is polluted everywhere in the world. This environmental pollution is defined as a change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of the air, water or soil that can affect the health, survival or activities of human beings or other living organisms in a harmful manner.

Case study of Ranchi in the light of correlation between urbanisation and environmental issues

Ranchi is located in the southern part of the Chotanagpur plateau, which is the eastern sector of the Deccan plateau. Ranchi is known as the city of waterfalls’ because of its numerous waterfalls, the best known of which are Dassam Falls, Hundru Falls, Jonha Falls, Hirni Falls and Panchghagh Falls.

The Subarnrekha River and its tributaries constitute the local river system. The channels Kanke, Rukka and Hatia have been dammed to create reservoirs that supply water to the majority of its population.

Ranchi has a hilly topography and its dense tropical forests that produce a relatively moderate climate compared to the rest of the state. Its climate was once such that it was summer capital of the undivided state of Bihar and was designated a preferable hill station since that time, rapid population growth and industrialization due to urbanisation have caused a marked change in its weather patterns and an increase in average temperature. This has resulted in gradual loss of its eligibility in its status as a hill station.

Demographic history of Ranchi shows that its population grew slowly during 1901-1941. In the subsequent decade of 1941-1951, its rate of growth was higher than national average.

Due to enhanced importance of the city, fear of naxals in rural areas people attracted towards the city and occupied land for business and residential purpose. Population increased with 82% in 1961-71 and 92% in 1971-81 which clearly established the fact that people occupied the area where they felt secure in terms of education, hospital, infrastructure, employment etc.

Ranchi started as a small city occupying an area of around 6 sqkm in 1869 with the population of approximately 12000 in 1871. The area gradually increased to 43.44 sqkm in 1965, 175.29 sqkm in 1985 and eventually stood at 179.69 sqkm in 2011.

Geographically Ranchi city is heterogeneous and due to its varied topological features, development with urbanisation disturbed land, village forest and natural resources. Use of land and steep slopes for cultivation and heavy engineering works can easily activate ecological degradation. Some natural resources are important base for substance; some means should be devised for planned use of these resources. Ranchi region needs much more attention due to regular occurrences of deforestation and improper urbanisation.

Rapid urbanisation in Ranchi has many reasons. After independence, population of Ranchi city in 1951 was only 1, 06,849 which increased by over eight times to 863180 in 2001 and in 2011, it is 1073427.

After being separated from Bihar, Ranchi has experienced the curse of rapid urbanisation which people are facing with lots of problems like erratic electric supply, water supply, municipal waste disposal, failure of drainage system, traffic jams, etc. Seasonal diseases have also multiplied. Ranchi earlier known as summer capital has now become the heat furnace during summer. It is all due to environmental pollution in the city. Urbanisation and expansion of Ranchi city have made dams and ponds polluted. Fine dust created by the stone mining is adversely affecting the forest cover. Some of the major problems created by urbanisation in  Ranchi are urban sprawl, overcrowding, slums and squatter settlements, transport, water shortage, sewerage problems, trash disposal, urban crime and many others.

The sheer magnitude of the urban population in Ranchi, haphazard and unplanned growth of urban areas and lack of infrastructure are the major causes of such situation. The rapid growth of urban population both natural and through migration has put heavy pressure on public utilities.

Over the last 22 years, expansion of the urbanisation has left adverse impact on the health of the surface water bodies. It has led to the shrinkage of wet lands. According to the studies, the area has from 1960 onwards suffered from substantial decrease of agricultural lands, open space water bodies.

Now today climate is changing with rising temperature and erratic rainfall. Earlier Ranchi received rainfall almost throughout the year but now it has changed.
Expansion of urban areas in Ranchi has created acute water crisis. Most of the dug wells and deep wells and corporation taps of this populated area have run dry forcing people to consume polluted surface water. Extensive deforestation, urbanisation and industrialization has led to uneven spread of rainfall which the water supply from the dams to the city area is dependent. Lots of deep boring in the Ranchi city has forced the water level to move down.
Now the Ranchi air has become highly polluted. Children are suffering from different lungs diseases. Toxic gases emitting from the automobiles are increasing manifold. Lots of trees have also been cut down for making houses, marketing complexes, apartments, malls etc.
Urbanisation has made Ranchi rich in increase in vehicle registration which emit criteria pollutants such as Sulphur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, particulates, carbon monoxide and lead. 

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