WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OF RURAL URBAN MIGRATION IN GHANA

                                                     CHALLENGES 

POOR LIVING STANDARDS – With urbanization comes a lot of other disadvantages. Notable among them are high rent charges. When there is a lack of adequate housing facilities, landlords or owners of housing facilities increase their rates on rents making it difficult for poor urban dwellers to afford. Even those with good income may have to settle for less expensive accommodation options due to the costs. Also amenities such as water and electricity may be at a premium. In some areas, there is often a shortage of water and power fluctuations because of the excess pressure on these resources which often tend to be scarce

OVERCROWDING (HOMELESSNESS) – Rapid urbanization is synonymous with overcrowding and homelessness. When a lot of people move into the big cities, the city becomes overcrowded since the homes and housing facilities were originally designed to fit a certain number of people.Lack of adequate housing causes increased slums as many rural folk who move to the urban cities will have to create their own settlements to get shelter.

SANITATION -one area that greatly gets affected is sanitation. The more people there are in a particular place at a particular time, the more difficult it is to keep clean. Refuse disposal, waste management, littering among others becomes a challenge. Unless there is a proper waste management system, the entire city or community is often prone to disease outbreaks. In recent times, malaria and cholera have been catastrophic illnesses in major cities as it spreads like wildfire due to congestion caused by rapid urbanization.

CRIMINALS AND STREET VIOLENCE – Where do we find the most criminals? Where do we hear or experience much violence. Your guess is as good as mine. They are found mainly in the slums which are caused by a lack of housing for many rural folk who have migrated to urban areas. When there is rapid urbanization, crime rates increase with the streets being unsafe. Armed robbery, theft, rape and other types of violence pick up because people need to survive and they often turn to these as a means of survival.




https://anchor.fm/g162/episodes/Rural-urban-migration-in-Ghana-ecqdnj/Challenges-of-rural-urban-migration-in-Ghana-a1uh74g



Mawuena Tsaku-Harker
DCS20600