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4
Low-cost Sewerage Systems in South Asia |
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Cities in South Asia are growing rapidly. In 1992, the urban population of the subcontinent was almost 300 million, of which about 110 million lived in cities with populations of over 1 million, and was growing at about 10 million people per year (World Bank, 1994). India alone had an urban population of about 230 million. Rapid population growth creates a need for shelter and this need is largely met through the informal sector, that sector of the market which operates outside official government rules and regulations. A recent study in Pakistan estimated that the informal sector accounts for about 40 per cent of all new housing and that 49 per cent of the population of the Punjab, the largest province, live in informal areas. The figures for other countries in the region are likely to be similar. |
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Informal land subdivisions vary greatly in scale and character, from large regularly planned developments which exhibit many of the characteristics of formally approved settlements, to the so called 'slum' settlements which are found on marginal land in and around many Indian cities. They are rarely provided with services at the time they are laid out and the subsequent provision of services places severe strains on the limited resources of government. Particular problems are often faced in relation to sanitation and drainage and it is with possible responses to these problems that this chapter is concerned. |
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