Urbanization as Environmental Issues of Sustainable development of Bangladesh

Urban areas particularly the big cities including Dhaka have serious pollution problems with respect to solid waste management, growth of slum areas without supply of clean water, and sanitation facilities, with congested living conditions, inadequate drainage system, and untreated industrial waste disposal. Most of these factors affect the urban poor in terms of general hardship, ill-health and even death. As usual it is the women and the children who are the worst victims. Such appalling conditions also adversely affect labour productivity due to disease and morbidity and thus increases vulnerability of the poor.

Challenges to Sustainable Development of Bangladesh

1 Population

Bangladesh is the 8^th largest country in the world with a population of 142.3 million in 2011 (BBS, Population and Housing Census 2011, Preliminary Results) living in an area of 147,570 sq km. The population density of the country is 964 per sq km that makes it the most populous country in the world with the exception of island nations/territories such as Singapore and Hong Kong. Early policy makers of the country identified population as the number one problem of the country and devised policies and strategies to control population growth. Consequently, the population growth rate declined from 2.48 percent per annum in 1974 to 1.34 percent per annum in 2011.

Sustainable development vision of Bangladesh

It is now widely recognized that the process of economic growth must be equitable as well as environmentally sustainable. The environmental efficacy deteriorates when the environment is degraded and the environmental balance disturbed through overuse, pollution, deforestation, and the consequences of greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentally sound development calls for actions to restore and maintain environmental health while pursuing socio-economic development. Internationally, there is broad consensus that the environment and production systems should be tailored to minimize damage to the environment to ensure the sustainability of development, and the environmental services should be directed towards poverty reduction.