Lately, it has dominated my thoughts. Especially, because I can actually hear the alarm. When I walk on the roads, when I am stuck in a traffic jam, when I am agitated because I get up in the morning and there is no water, I hear it, Loud and Clear. I grew up in Pune and now I am in Bangalore. Two cities, growing beyond imagination at a reckless speed. I guess Bangalore was the earlier victim and I see similar symptoms in Pune. I panic. I love that city. Is decentralization a solution? I wonder.
Some years back, I read an article in Hindu, I guess. The way US organized educational institutions, facilitated easy access to excellent education without the need of relocation. The farmers did not have to leave their farms to get good education. Education was brought to them. I am not saying US should be followed. But, what will happen if a farmer's son has to leave his village in Bihar and go to Patna or Kanpur or any other city? His father is either illiterate or has gone to school up to some level. He is not updated about better practices in farming as the son who had access to latest information, is not with him. His son goes to a city which is packed with people, running short of all resources, but there are well known schools a million IT parks and equivalent or more number of cars. Bigger the city, more the money, more the tension and lower the quality of life (of course, this is my view point).
Let me revisit the problem with different examples. There is a small city. Nice weather, ample water and relaxed lifestyle. The connectivity between cities is not that great and people on an average have similar lifestyles- majority being middle class (In this thought process, I am not thinking about the lower class for certain reasons). Then there is some improvement, after few years, the progress picks sudden pace and this little city is transformed. It is a metro! People pour in thousands of numbers. The original small city now can't accommodate so many people. Now, the are nearby villages, small hills are included in city as suburbs. There is a rush of builders to the newly developing areas- in new layouts, soon multistory buildings rise to sky. The water supply and waste water management is still not planned well, but there is no time. People need space to settle. People think, well, will adjust for a while. One day, there is no water. People call for the bore-well. The time passes by and one day, again, there is no water to the tap. People think, the previous bore-well was 750 ft. deep, should we go to 1000 or deeper? I face it. I stay in a suburb which supports more number of people than it can handle. People around are least bothered if water is wasted, if there are heaps of garbage around. I can see the deterioration of the unplanned suburbs. I pay rps 10,000/month to stay in a flat which is an a place that I absolutely dislike. And why do I do that? Because, it is close to my husband's and my workplace. We don't have other options. Can we track the trajectory?
Instead of flocking to Bangalore, if IT companies disperse to Belgaum and Aurangabad how would the picture change? Today, I see only old or very young people on the streets of even cities like Kochi and Aurangabad forget the villages (that's my observation again and not a statement). Where is the youth? Where is the earning class? The situation is some countries is so bad that 60% of the population comprises of aged or children. And when I know this, what am I doing? I am thinking. Not doing anything. I am waiting to finish my Ph.D because, I think then I can do something. After I get Ph.D, I will think after blah blah happens, then I can do something. Will this go on and the thoughts will just be incubated?
It might be difficult to to gauge the volume of what we will face one day. The process seems unstoppable and the aftereffects unimaginable. Can we see the problem? Can we identify the cause(s)? What should be done?
Mandar posted this on buzz http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b5dfac22-4dd1-11df-b437-00144feab49a.html
Take a look.
