ISLAMABAD – Six out of the top ten major cities in Pakistan havedouble-digit poverty figures. Quetta, with 46 percent, has the highestpoverty rate while Islamabad, with 3 percent has the lowest poverty rate.
This was revealed in the “State of Pakistani Cities (SPC)” report launchedin Islamabad. The report presents the current state of development in theten largest cities of Pakistan and throws light on the state of theeconomy, social service delivery, planning and development, housing,environment and heritage in these cities as well.
According to the 2017 census, 75 million people live in urban areas ofPakistan. 54 percent of the total urban population resides in these tenmajor cities of Pakistan. The report finds that larger cities have seenenormous urban sprawl due to increase in population and change in land usein downtown areas as well within the periphery of the cities.
Pakistani cities vary in terms of their size, economy, employment and taxrevenues. Services and industry are the major employment sectors inPakistani cities. The share of the service economy in the cities is largerthan the share of services in the national economy. Pakistan generates 95percent of its total federal tax revenue from its ten major cities andKarachi contributes 55 percent, Islamabad 16 percent, and Lahore 15percent. The average urban per capita income in Pakistan among the tencities varies from PKR 37,000-70,000. Poverty in urban areas is a major andvisible phenomenon.
Access to clean water continues to be a major problem in Pakistani cities.Only 65.2 percent of households in Pakistan’s 10 major cities have accessto piped water connections. The cities lack sewage treatment facilities andsolid waste management which leads to severe environmental pollution andcontamination of surface and groundwater bodies. Shortage of power supplyremains a persistent problem in harnessing the potential of thesocio-economic development of the cities. Further, general understandingand appreciation of the environment and heritage are low among the relevantauthorities and other stakeholders.
Increasing urbanization has created pressing demands for housing in cities.The absence of any formal provision for the lower-income urban populationand the people migrating from rural areas to urban areas has resulted inthe creation of large informal settlements, lacking access to the adequatelevel of services. The report also features a data gap in the urban sectorin Pakistan as one of the key limitations for sustainable development.
The report emphasizes that Pakistani cities need to better plan and managetheir development to meet the needs and demands of their citizens and thecountry. To prosper, cities need to be more responsive towards theenvironment and adopt technologies and economies that are less wasteful anddestructive. Thus, taking a more realistic approach to development thatmeets the demands of the present without compromising the ability of futuregenerations to meet their own needs.
UN-Habitat Pakistan also launched its Habitat Country Programme (HCP),Pakistan 2018-2022. HCP has been prepared and aligned with the PakistanVision 2025, United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) OneUN Programme (OP-III) and New Urban Agenda. It lays down the roadmap forachieving SDG 11 and other crosscutting SDGs. The key objectives of theprogramme include promoting socio-economic growth, improving access toaffordable housing, energy, water and sanitation and other basic services,development of policies and regulatory instruments for sustainableurbanization and reduction of the impact of disasters and climate change.
The Federal Minister for Climate Change, Muhammad Yusuf Shaikh in hisremarks reiterated the commitment of the Government of Pakistan toformulate the National and Provincial Urban Policies through participatoryapproach to arrive at viable solutions for climate-resilient urbandevelopment in the country and support measures to implement SDG 11 forinclusive, safe, and resilient cities. The State of Pakistani Citiesreport, 2018 provides the basis for continued collaborative action todevelop common and consistent actions, policies and strategies which willensure that the outcomes are pragmatic and reflect the ground realitiesacross the country.
Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Ministry of Planning, Development, and Reforms in heraddress highlighted that Pakistan is fortunate to have 31 percent of itspopulation consisting of youth in the age bracket of 15-29 years. This“youth bulge” provides a unique opportunity for utilizing their potentialin contributing to urban economic development. The value generated by theurban economy needs to be equally shared through innovative, integratedfinancial mechanisms to ensure a sustainable flow of finance necessary forcities to meet the needs and provide opportunities for all. Sustainable andinclusive urban economies can be created by promoting urban strategies andpolicies that strengthen the capacity of cities to realize full potentialas drivers of socio-economic development.