MILLIONS of people living in Pakistan’s cities will agree with the Asian Development Bank’s description of the nation’s urban centres as “congested, unattractive and polluted”. In its detailed report Pakistan National Urban Assessment, the ADB has listed the many problems that plague our cities, and offered solutions based on international best practices, as well as local conditions in the country. The study estimates that the current urban population is 93.8m, while projecting that by 2030, nearly 100m people — or around 41pc of the total population — will be living in cities. There are also concerns that urban population counts are underestimated. Unless the state has workable plans to deal with rapid urbanisation, life in our cities may get more challenging than it already is.

The ADB has described the situation in Pakistan as a “messy urbanisation model”, indicating a lack of planning, poor infrastructure, and inadequate services. Amongst the challenges our cities face are housing shortages, poor water and sanitation services and deficient solid waste management services. These problems are amplified by the fact that cities are facing funding crunches in an “uncertain” economic environment, while urban governance has been complicated by “partial devolution”, resulting in “mutually exclusive governance structures”. Regarding the megacities of Karachi and Lahore, the bank feels the Sindh capital suffers from class division and a “complicated political situation”, while the Punjab capital is a victim of “uncontrollable sprawl”. Elsewhere, Islamabad faces a mounting housing demand, while Peshawar has seen significant migration, particularly after erstwhile Fata’s merger with KP. Yet the ADP notes that Peshawar’s infrastructure is “improving”, while the Asian lender has praised KP’s decentralisation process.

Regarding the provision of water to urban areas, the ADB says that while access to water supply and sanitation has improved, changes have been “incremental”. Similarly, there has been progress on solid waste management services, yet these remain “limited and inefficient”. The ADB says that Pakistan requires a new urbanisation model and stresses the need for empowered local governments in order to undertake sustainable urban planning. This paper has argued in these columns that the absence of functional and independent LGs is at the root of almost all our urban woes. Sadly, nearly all political parties have tried their best to prevent the emergence of elected and functional LGs, lest these institutions — that are closest to the voter — weaken the patronage networks that power Pakistani politics. To prevent an irreversible slide towards urban dystopia, the state must pay heed to the suggestions the ADB and other experts have offered. Pakistanis deserve cleaner, greener, sustainable cities that offer equal opportunities to all, and are governed by transparent laws and functioning institutions, while urban slums should be replaced with affordable, dignified housing for the working classes.

Published in Dawn, October 23th, 2024