Rapid urbanization in Pakistan poses various challenges: Mayor

KARACHI: Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar has said that the rapid urbanization in Pakistan poses various challenges and they need to begin their work to deal with this from today otherwise the situation would become even more complicated.

He said this while talking to a delegation of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which called on him here on Thursday, said a statement.

The Mayor said that the metropolitan cities becoming more instrumental in transforming populations, economic activities, social and cultural interactions.

He said that Asia is experiencing urban growth at higher rates than overall population growth and by 2050 urban areas will account for two thirds of the total population in Asia.

The UNDP delegation informed the Mayor that the UNDPs works on urban issues in Islamabad where the UNDP has established an urban platform in collaboration with the metropolitan corporation of Islamabad.

The urban platform aimed at generating dialogue and develop feasible and efficient long-term solutions for some of the most pressing challenges related to urbanization.

The UNDP has been globally engaged in supporting urbanization and addressing its challenges. In this connection UNDP is also supporting numerous city governments and mayors across the developing world in developing scalable solutions to address some of their most pressing challenges.

Wasim Akhtar said that Karachi being the commercial hub played a key role in the progress of the country.

He said that in this connection all organizations concerned are in contact and they are making all-out efforts to solve basic problems of the city as soon as possible.