Urbanization and Its Effects on Water Resources: An Exploratory Analysis

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Hassan Rashid, Muhammad Abo ul^{a; *} | Manzoor, Malik Maliha^b | Mukhtar, Sana^a

Affiliations: [a] Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Plot 67, Street 9, Sector H-8/4, Islamabad | [b] International Islamic University Islamabad, Sector H-10, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding Author. hassan.rashid@szabist-isb.pk

Abstract: Urbanization often causes environmental degradation and harms human health in developing countries. This study has an imperative focus on the effects of rapidly growing urban life and its impact on water resources in the Muzaffarabad city. The data for this paper comes from 20 in-depth interviews with members of the local government, political workers and local residents of the city, carried out during the year 2015, to analyze the ways in which increasing urban life is affecting water quality in the area. The findings indicate that waters of both rivers Jhelum and Neelum are being viciously contaminated by the local residents, which results in a scarcity of drinking water and a number of viral diseases.

Keywords: Urbanization, water, Muzaffarabad, pollution, Neelum, Jhelum

DOI: 10.3233/AJW-180007

Journal: Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 67-74, 2018