CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Urbanization is a process by which rural area take on urban characteristics.it is the index of transformation from traditional rural economy to modern industrial one and thus the progressive concentration of population in urban unit (Barney, 2004), and it is the movement of people from rural to urban areas with population growth equating to urban migration (UN, 2008).

Urbanization in itself has brought several social and economic benefits such as better education, health care, housing, and sanitation business opportunities and transportation as well as several economic, social, and environmental challenges such as the development of slums, increase living costs, and housing problems, crime wave, social insecurity, noise, and congestion.

Most of these effects are quite challenging in developing countries to solve due to lack of funds and poor management schemes. Of prior importance is the environmental implication of urbanization. On several aspects has urbanization contribute to environmental degradation. This is because the process takes place in the environment.

Such environmental challenges are however difficult to solve and in some case lack of fund in developing countries keeps it on trial. Environmental implications are damaging the natural ecosystem as well as impacting human life and health.

Urbanization has a lot of contribution to play in environmental degradation via deforestation, overexploitation of resources, emissions, improper waste disposal which are very important. This study thus aims at investigating and identifying the contributions of urbanization to environmental degradation and the environmental implications of urbanization.

1.0 Background to study

According to Hemann and Khan et al., 2010 says, developed countries experience urbanization. Rapid urbanization took place during the period of industrialization in Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many people moved from rural areas to cities to get jobs from the rapidly expanding industries.

Since 1950 however, urbanization has slowed down in most of the developed countries. The present-day situation is such that bigger cities are losing population to a rural environment known as counter urbanization. Counter urbanization is the movement of people out of cities to the surrounding areas and has been occurring in developed countries.

The reason for such is as a result of; An increase in car ownership which has made people mobile and increase commuting and the growth of technology means people can work from home, urban areas are becoming unpleasant to live due to pollution, crime and traffic congestion, more people move to rural areas when they retire to lead peaceful lives, development of new business around the edge of cities.

According to Modal et al., 2018 says developed countries experience urban growth different from developing countries urbanization turn to move towards the hinterlands a case different from developing countries they have a long history of urbanization at such their urban centers have become inhospitable making people move toward the rural areas hence suburbanization and counter urbanization is the order of the day.

According to Abiodum et al.,1997 developing countries, after their independence around the 1950s, the quest for development leads to the accumulation of resources in core settlements that immediately became urbanized through massive urban migration and natural increase (Abiodum, 1997; Modal, 2018). The towns in developing countries usually serve as opportunities for job seekers as many migrate from rural areas to urban areas in search of better living and to increase their stay (McCall, 1955).

However increase in population is associated with several problems such as poverty, high infant mortality, malnutrition, environmental degradation, congestion, and inadequate housing(Herrmann and khan, 2008).conditions in rural areas in developing countries are so pitiful that move many to the city in order to improve their living standard only to be faced with what has been described as urban illusion(Eyong and fly, 2006) as they experience worst conditions and difficulty to find job(Stifel and Thorbecke, 2003; Potts, 2006).

According to Mc Call et al., 1995 says unfortunately urbanization in developing countries does not show a significant or an improvement of the living standards of the population (Adegbola, 1987). The majority of urban centers in developing countries are unable to cope with the needs of the growing population so the urban dwellers fall back to the informal sector for employment opportunities (Gundogan and Bicerli, 2009).

According to Bodo et al., 2015 urbanization in Africa has been described as unique (Bodo, 2015). The pattern of urbanization of Africa is different from other continents of the world. As compared  with other regions, Africa is always moving to other parts of the world for greener pastures, leisure and religious function, but despite this, the continent is one of the fastest growing urbanizing regions of the world (Guneralp et al, 2018).Currently, most places in Africa are rural and primitive,  yet the African urban population is expected to be more than triple in over forty years, from 395  million in 2000 to 1.339 billion in 2050 corresponding to 21st   of the world’s projected urban population(UNDESA., 2019).

According to Boadi et al, 2005 earlier before now, migration patterns in Africa used to be circular form with many traveling to cities for a better living however they are been faced with hardships in city centers and other urban accelerated problems.in some cases urbanization instead create wars and armed conflict, insecurity, poverty and diseases (Boadi, et al, 2005; Fay and opal, 2000). Over the last 20 years, African urban population has experience a dramatic increase in urban agglomeration (about 50% in 2015) Central and West Africa have more volatile urban population growth rates whereas east and Southern and North Africa have been consistent in their growth rates.

According to Fombe and Balgah et al., 2010 Cameroon as part of Africa has not been spared of the wave of rapid and uncontrolled urbanization which extends at the peri-urban fringe. The pace of urbanization in Cameroon as other West African countries has been very rapid, from 1976 to 1988, the rate of urbanization grew from 28.5% to 40.4% (Fombe and Balgah, 2010) with the current figure at around 49%, it is considered the most urbanized country in sub-Saharan standard.

This rapid urbanization is observed in Douala (1.4 million) (especially bonaberi district), Yaoundé (1.1 million), where dramatic growth can be seen in neighborhoods like Emombo, Simbock, and Nkolbisson. This bipolarity is specific to Cameroon as in most countries only a large town (capital) has a greater concentration of population.

These two are followed by secondary towns like Garoua, Bamenda, Maroua, and Buea which have more than 200,000 inhabitants each According to Fombe et, al 2000 urbanization in Cameroon just like any order African countries turn to be rapid in city centers as more and more people leave rural areas to city centers in search of jobs and better leaving conditions thereby increasing the population of the cities at the expense of rural areas.

According to Balgah et al 2000 In Buea, urban growth is increasing ever since the start of the development of this intermediates town. The urban rate has been very rapids, in 2000 the urban environment occupied a surface area of 10km2 but the rapid urban growth rate has increased to 25km in 2014 with the major areas witnessing at least more than 25% increase in population between 2000 and 2014. such growth in urban areas is associated with several socio-economic, and environmental problems.

According to Fombe et al 2010 Buea is fast becoming an urban environment. The natural conditions which have favored the development of the town are frankly few Buea began to emerge from the lethargy into which it had fallen after the German departure when the first seat of local government was created in 1958, and really to grow since independence. The choice of Buea as the political capital of the southwest region has made it an urban area without that the town would probably have been no more important than MUEA.

For neither the plantation nor port or trading activities were there to give the town the decisive spark. The town has witnessed an unprecedented increase in urban growth following the creation of the University of Buea. This has fully played an important role in increasing the urban rate of municipalities. This is because as an institute of learning and research it has drawn population from other parts of the country particularly students and civil servants workers either in University or the administration with this increased population, there is high demand for land for many purposes as such result in the transformation of the land use for different purposes.

With this increased population, there is high use of energy, high demand for food, and as such has been a transformation of the environment to suit urban conditions which are affecting the environment. This is because the population is interacting with the environment and with no considerations for the environmental risk such environmental problems usually possess a challenge to the municipality.

1.2 The Problem Statement

Urbanization of the Buea subdivision has brought about several economic and social benefits on the population but however, this rapid urbanization has several environmental implications;

The rapid increase in the urban population in the Buea has resulted in the need for space for the construction of residences and other urban structures. This has resulted in rapid deforestation, disrupting the forest carbon exchange thereby leading to an increase in temperatures experience in Buea. Deforestation has resulted in changes in surface and air temperatures leading to climatic changes experience nowadays in the Buea subdivision. And more so the cutting down of trees has resulted in the extinction of valuable plant and animal species (loss of biodiversity).

Urban construction such as roads, culverts, concretes has made the soils to be impermeable thus resulting in soil erosion and flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. The increase in Buea’s urban population has resulted in congestion of people and competition for the use of public services thereby leading to overcrowding in public spaces like markets, bars, and nightclubs. An increase in the use of automobiles has resulted in traffic congestion which causes lengthy delays.

The improper disposal of waste has resulted in pollution in most places. Litters are found everywhere which destroys the natural beauty of the town and causes smell when they decompose. Pollution of streams is the order of the day as litter is dumped into these streams, this has led to a reduction in volumes of some streams and others drying up resulting in water scarcity. Machines from small industrial firms, car exhaust, and other household machinery release a dangerous chemical that pollutes the atmosphere

Car exhaust, nightclubs, and bar, machines of small industrial firms produce noise which reduces periods of rest and are detrimental to health. Hence this possesses a great need to tackle these problems.

1.3 Research Question

1.3.1 Main Question

What are the implications of urbanization on the environment in the Buea subdivision?

1.3.2 Specific Question

1. What are the causes of urbanization in the Buea subdivision?
2. How does urbanization contribute to environmental degradation in the Buea Subdivision?
3. What are the possible solutions to solve this environmental degradation?