Population Growth and Its Impact on Urban Expansion: A Case Study of Bahawalpur, Pakistan

Abstract

Land cover analysis and land use transformations, which are mainly associated with population growth, are considered as essential elements for studying the relationship between population growth, land use conversions and environmental consequences. Most cities of the world are becoming urbanized with every passing day and human induced land cover changes are modifying the pattern of land use in urban areas. Currently, Pakistan is standing at an influential place with regard to the size of its population, occupying sixth position among the world countries. Almost all its administrative entities have experienced unprecedented population growth throughout its entire life. Its urban areas are expanding more rapidly than their rural counterparts due to both by natural increase and by rural-urban migration. Study area for the current research, Bahawalpur is one of the fastest growing cities of Pakistan ranking twelfth among the cities of Punjab Province. This study aims at to examine the historical population growth of the city since last fifty years correlated with changing land use pattern and urban area expansion. Study is based on secondary data analysis using urban expansion indices for measuring the rate of urban change with increasing population growth. Application of regression model also verifies the increasing rate of urban area with population size and indicates an alarming situation for urban and city planners. Trend of urban growth in Bahawalpur shows that city is moving promptly towards highly urbanized cities of Pakistan. Its unprecedented and unplanned expansion may cause serious urban problems. Thus, it needs a serious look and attention of city planners. This study can also be helpful in providing some base line information.