'Urban population in Asia to reach 50 pc by 2025'

Dehradun, Nov 28: Experts here said the urban population in Asia will reach the 50 per cent mark by 2025 from the current 38 per cent.

Speaking at a seminar on ''Healthy Cities and Urban Poor'' on the second day of the first Asian Mayors Conference inaugurated by Lankan President Mahinda Rajpakse on Sunday, Project Director Urban Development Siddharth Agarwal said.

The number of million plus cities in Asia will increase from the current 194 to 288 by 2015, he added.

He said the urban population in India multiplied by more than ten times during the 20th century and it was projected to double (660 million) in the first quarter of 21st century and would be more than half of the total population.

Expressing concern over the unabated growth of the urban poor, Mr Agarwal said urban population has reached 285 million with estimated 70 to 90 million urban poor which is likely to touch 202 million by 2020. He said the estimated annual births among urban poor were two million, with one million babies being born every year in slums.

He said the health conditions of urban poor were similar to the rural population and far worse than urban averages. ''Poor health services were another problems faced by the urban poor,'' he said and added 66 per cent of the urban poor households do not have access to piped water supply and toilet facilities.

Mr Agarwal said health services in coordination with state health system needed to be strengthened.

UNI