Band 6+: The movement of people from agricultural areas to cities to work can cause serious problems in both places. What are the serious problems? What measures can be used to solve these problems?

Over the last years, it has become more popular for people to migrate from rural areas to towns for work. There is no doubt that this movement has created serious problems both in cities and villages, that need to be addressed urgently. In this essay, I will look at these problems and propose some solutions.

One significant problem is that the overcrowding of cities can increase environmental pollution. If the cities become overcrowded with people, there might be more cars and more industries. This means that there could be an increase release of carbon dioxide into the environment, because machines and cars both produce this gas, which deteriorates the protective ozone layer. A way forward might be for the government to create more attractive and high-paid jobs in rural areas, which can encourage many villagers to remain in their villages.

Another issue is that it may reduce the country’s productivity, because most raw materials are cultivated in rural areas. So if many people leave these areas to cities, it can reduce the manpower available to cultivate a given quantity of the raw material. This issue could be addressed by increasing the prices of these raw products, which may boost more people to stay back in their villages.

A third problem this movement may cause is the loss of some cultural values, which are extremely difficult to preserve when someone is found in the mist of strangers. When people of different tribes come together, it may become impossible to respect some traditional beliefs, because of lack of frequent practice and shame. To solve this problem, traditional leaders can organize cultural weeks, inviting all villagers to come back home, which might help keep their traditional values.

To sum up, although moving to from rural areas to urban areas in search of greener pastures is lucrative, it may lead to problems such as overpopulation in towns, a decrease in the available raw materials, and thirdly to loss of cultural values. The government, companies, and chiefs all have a role to play in tackling these problems.