Economic and Social Structure of Mumbai City - Essay Example

Mumbai Mumbai is one of the populous in India and ultimately the fourth most populous globally. Despite its high population, it denotes the richest city in India having the highest GDP of any city in West, South, or Central Asia (Cavendish, 2007, p. 1452). The city has undergone tremendous changes within the past twenty years in terms of the population, economy, and social structure. Consequently, these changes have posed major challenges and problems to the city. This paper discusses in depth about the key changes that have come about within Mumbai city and the challenges facing the city. Population alteration As one of the densely populated cites in the world, Mumbai city has witnessed a phenomenal population growth over the last half a century with a mass migration occurring from the countryside to the city in search of employment and a better life. Like other metros of India, the city has experienced rapid population growth in the last twenty years. It is important to note that a large number of the population exhibited in Mumbai city live in slums and other residential areas. Researchers depict that the city’s population 1971, increased from 7.7 million to 18.3 million in 2001. Statistics portray that the population further increased from 18.3 in 2001 to 22.4 million in 2011. Mumbai’s population has doubled for the last twenty years with a population density of 30,000 people per square kilometer, which is relatively high. It is depicted that the majority of Mumbai’s residents are migrants from other states of India (Cavendish, 2007, p. 1453). For the last two decades, migration to Mumbai city has remained a serious concern to planners, policy makers, and researchers. Migration has posed the major force towards the city’s rapid population growth since its inception. The migrants to Mumbai city base their argument on employment opportunities (Cavendish, 2007, p. 1452). Most of the migrants move to Mumbai due to economic reasons. Evidently, studies have indicated that migration to Mumbai city is sex and age selective with the majority migrants encompassing young males. Population growth in Mumbai city has posed a controversial issue to the government with it increasing with time. Economic change Mumbai city denotes the first Indian city to experience technological and economical changes associated with the growth of capitalism and have since become India’s banking and financial capital. Diversification and economic advancements within Mumbai city has led to a tremendous growth of job opportunities in the city in turn has attracting an incursion of migrants to the city (Eur, 2002 p. 461). Scholarly research depicts that the opening of oil mills and start of machine building and engineering units further boosted the economy of the city thus providing job opportunities for natives of the less developed states and the increased migrants in the city. Mumbai city is depicted to account for 11% of India’s total employment opportunities and 20% of industrial employment in India. Mumbai city is the largest subcontinent port handling India’s 30% imports and exports. The growth of Mumbai’s economy arose from internal trade top foreign trade (Eur, 2002, p. 462). The city has drastically experienced growth of urbanization thus causing problems to Urban Developers who find it hard to do much planning due to the city’s rapid change. The city still experiences high cases of unemployment despite the fact that it has flourished economically for the past two decades. This is due to the rapid population growth making the job severely less than the workers do. Social structural changes For the past twenty years, social class diversity has found its way in Mumbai city. Due to technological and economic change, the city has created a bridge between the poor and the rich in the society. The rich reside in the luxurious estates while the poor congest in the slum areas. The division of the two classes of people has made the rich benefit tremendously from the city’s economy leaving the poor to struggle to make their ends meet. Scholarly research denotes that about a third of Mumbai’s population has a problem with poverty issues. As the population increases, it is depicted that the rate of poverty has also increased in Mumbai city over the last twenty years (McMichael, 2010:235). In addition, lack of employment opportunities has led to the growth of criminals in Mumbai city especially in the slum areas. Mumbai slums have denoted cases of insecurity due to congestion and unemployment for the growing youth. Therefore, a drastic change in the social structure has taken place in Mumbai city over the last twenty years. Issues and problems The growth of any city is accompanied with subsequent problems that arise due to economical growth. These problems keep changing following a specific trend of poverty related issues, rapid industrialization issues, rapid economic growth issues and wealthy lifestyle issues. The most significant features of urban issues in many developing countries especially Mumbai city in India is its dynamics. Its urbanization is coupled with industrialization followed by rapid economic growth. As a city that has prospered economically, it is faced with a range of challenges that hinder its expansion. The main problem that faces Mumbai city is rapid population growth resulting to overcrowding. For over centuries, the city has experienced rapid population growth that has led to associated problem such as lack of job opportunities and overcrowding. Overcrowding in the city area has led to the growth of urban slums such as Dharavi slums. These slums portray unsustainable environment for human stay. Evidently, the slums are usually very populated with poor housing conditions, lack of effective and efficient infrastructure, poor sanitation facilities, and insufficient security (U.N.H.S.P., 2003, p. 90). Over population in Mumbai city has made many people lack job opportunities thus engaging in criminal activities to earn their living. Despite the hard efforts employed by the government to create more jobs, scholars who come all along to school at Mumbai never go back to their native countries to search for job opportunities. This results to a high completion of job opportunities to the native Mumbai residents who end up lacking lobs. As the city expands, statistics depict of a double increase of the city’s population in the nearby future. Overpopulation as a key issue in Mumbai city has posed sanitation facilities as the major problem the government has failed in its role of ensuring sufficient sanitation for the city. Lack of proper drainage facilities and waste disposal mechanisms in the city has led to a major health concern to the city residents. Poverty has found its way in the city due to the immense growth of the city’s population (Bridge and Watson, 2010, p. 78). Many people lack the basic needs and live a life of hand to mouth. Although many people in Mumbai city struggle to make ends meet, life still becomes a challenge to them. Another key challenging issue that has thrived in Mumbai city is pollution. Pollution has posed a major challenge to the residents of the city. Mumbai city has faced issues of air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. It is important to note that industrialization in Mumbai city has contributed greatly to air pollution in the city (Eur, 2002, p. 28). As the city expands economically, industries have led to respiratory problems to the city residents over the last twenty years of the city’s growth. Waste disposal from industries has becoming a challenging issue for the city thus leading to disposal of industrial effluents in water bodies (Bicknell, Dodman and Satterthwaite, 2009, p. 137). Environmental sustainability for the city has been a recurring problem within the last two decades. The dynamic feature of Mumbai’s environment has often been treated as risk shadowed by the overwhelming complexity of the issue rather than an opportunity. Viewing Mumbai’s environment as an opportunity enables a conceptual and theoretical understanding of the changes that are with time evolving within Mumbai city and how to deal with them. Lack of appropriate infrastructure has posed a major problem to Mumbai city. The roads have showed inefficiency in use over the last few years (Bermingham, 2000, p. 273). Moreover, the city lacks effective communication facilities thus causing a serious problem that hinders effective communications required for economic transactions. Mumbai’s municipalities, which are responsible for environmental management, lack long-term understanding and planning of the city’s environment. Although great opportunities presented by environmental risks remain untapped, there is still hope of environmentally benign future of Mumbai city to be shaped at least partly. Conclusion In conclusion, this paper has discussed in depth of the changes that have taken place in Mumbai city for the last twenty years. These changes have taken place within the population structure, social structure, and economic changes. It is depicted that the GDP of Mumbai city has unequally manifested with increasing cases of poverty within the city for the last twenty years. Despite the high economic prosperity of the city, success has been concentrated with the elite whereby the majority who are the poor experience high employment cases, poor health services, poor security, infrastructure, and housing. This has greatly contributed to the city’s imbalance between population growth and investment in public services. The majority lack access to public services due to shortage of the facilities. The landowners portray a major threat to the working class and slum dwellers as they try to evict them from the city (McMichael, 2010, p. 153). Bibliography Bermingham, S., 2000. Changing Environments. London: Heinemann. Bicknell, J., Dodman, D. and Satterthwaite, D., 2009. Adapting Cities to Climate Change: Understanding and Addressing the Development Challenges. Albuquerque: Earthscan. Bridge, G. and Watson, S., 2010. The Blackwell City Reader. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Cavendish, M. 2007. World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia. New York: Marshall Cavendish. Eur., 2002. Far East and Australasia 2003. New York: Routledge. McMichael, P., 2010. Contesting Development: Critical Struggles for Social Change. New York: Taylor & Francis. U.N.H.S.P., 2003. The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements, 2003. Nairobi: UN-HABITAT. Read More