Impacts of Internal Migration on Urban Environment: Bangladesh Perspective

This article examines the significant impacts of large-scale internal migration on the urban environment in Bangladesh, from a national perspective. It analyzes how the massive and continuous flow of migrants from rural to urban areas, particularly to the megacity of Dhaka, is placing immense pressure on the urban environment. The study explores the key environmental consequences of this rapid and often-unplanned urbanization. These include the encroachment and filling of wetlands and water bodies to create land for housing, the severe pollution of air and water due to the concentration of population and industry, and the immense pressure on basic urban services such as water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management. The research argues that internal migration is a primary driver of urban environmental degradation. The paper concludes that addressing this challenge requires a two-pronged strategy: a better management of urbanization in the major cities, and a greater focus on creating economic opportunities in the rural areas and secondary towns to reduce the push factors for migration.

Internal migration has been the primary driver of urbanization in Bangladesh, but this process has come at a very high environmental cost. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the impacts of this migration on the urban environment. The study begins by documenting the scale of rural-to-urban migration and the resulting explosive growth of the country's major cities, particularly Dhaka. The core of the article is a systematic examination of the severe environmental consequences of this rapid and largely unplanned growth. It provides a detailed account of the degradation of the urban ecosystem, focusing on the filling of canals and floodplains, which has exacerbated the problem of urban flooding. The paper also analyzes the severe air and water pollution crisis in the cities, linking it directly to the high population density and the concentration of polluting industries. A key theme of the paper is the environmental conditions in the informal settlements, or slums, where the majority of new migrants live, and which are characterized by an almost complete absence of basic environmental services. The findings reveal a powerful and vicious cycle, where migration drives environmental degradation, and environmental degradation, in turn, worsens the quality of life for the urban population, particularly the poor. The paper concludes by arguing that a sustainable future for urban Bangladesh requires a new development model, one that promotes a more decentralized and environmentally-conscious pattern of urbanization, rather than allowing the continued, unsustainable growth of a few megacities.