Urban population will increase to 57.2 percent by 2015

At present 32.2 percent of the global population live in urban areas while it is predicted to increase to 57.2 percent by 2015 and most of them live in slums.

Additional Secretary Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, Janaka Kurukulasuriya said that urban development is one of the key features of the Governments policy and according to MDG’s improving the life of slum dwellers is a must.

As a public private sector partnership it is proposed to build 60,000 housing units by 2015. Of this 40,000 will be for slum dwellers while the remaining will be luxury and semi luxury units.For low income families, the UDA has started construction work on 10,000 housing units while work on another 10,000 units will start this year said Kurukulasuriya at the opening ceremony of the South Asia Urban poverty workshop.

Country Director ADB Rita O’ Sullivan said that women should be empowered so that their families will then be empowered. She said that 40 percent of the ADB projects are aimed at urban development.

The growth of the urban population is linked to urban poverty. Facing diminishing economic prospects many rural people stream into the city in search of greater opportunities for their children but they only find that life is a struggle and not as easy as they thought.

Living in poverty without access to sanitation, clean water, and proper housing in marginal city areas means unhealthy living. This also has repercussions on women and children. Urban policy planners and developers must listen to their voice too, said Sullivan.