HYDERABAD : Hyderabad stands as the sixth most populous city in the country with a population of 1.1 crore. When compared to 2023, the city’s population increased by 2.48%.
With World Population Day falling on July 11, experts say that the rising population is impacting development, creating pressure on social infrastructure, sanitation, housing, food, water, energy, employment, education and other matters. This hinders sustainable development for future generations, they add.
Delhi is the most populated city in the country with a population of 3.38 crore, followed by Mumbai (2.16 crore), Kolkata (1.55 crore), Bengaluru (1.4 crore), Chennai (1.2 crore), Hyderabad (1.1 crore) and Ahmedabad (88 lakh). These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision of the UN World Urbanisation Prospects. These estimates represent the urban agglomeration of Hyderabad, including adjacent peripheral areas.
An online report said that like all fast-growing cities, Hyderabad is also facing civic problems. Housing, drinking water, electricity and public transport facilities are becoming scarce and not growing in accordance with the rising population. The impact of population growth is seen in education, medicine, pollution, air quality, cleanliness, solid waste management and the environment, among others, it added.
It emphasised that if there is no foresight, there is a risk that the problems will escalate. The city is already seeing traffic jams, flooding, lack of lung space and lack of enough public toilets, the report added.
Around 13% of Hyderabad’s population lives below the poverty line. There are at least 1,475 slums in the city with a population of at least 17 lakh, depending on public services from the government. Though the government is making efforts to create infrastructure by laying roads, flyovers, bridges, and water, sewage and stormwater systems, a lot still needs to be done as the population multiplies, hindering development, the report mentioned.
Encroachment of waterbodies, degradation of green cover and a sharp increase in personal vehicles on city roads are examples of the population explosion, it added.
Although the growing population is helping development on one side, it has become a challenge to maintain living standards on the other side. Urban affairs experts say that sustainable development along with strategic urban planning is crucial.