Maharashtra Board Class 9 Geography Chapter 10 Urbanisation PDF Download

10. Urbanisation

Can You Tell?

[A dialogue between a farmer (Tatya) in a village and his son (Suresh) is given here. Read it carefully and hold a discussion on the following questions]

Tatya: Suresh, I will come late to the field today. You go ahead.

Suresh: But father, today I was thinking of going to the factory.

Tatya: Why?

Suresh: I think I should work in that factory.

Tatya: Work in the factory? For what?

Suresh: Father, if I work in the factory, I will get a monthly salary. If I work overtime, I will get additional money. Also, I will get bonus in Diwali.

Tatya: But what about our fields?

Suresh: I will also look after the field simultaneously.

Tatya: All that is fine but will you be able to manage all this?

Suresh: Tatya, I will look after all that, you don't worry. We should think of the future now. Our village will change drastically from what it looks now.

Tatya: What changes are you talking about?

Suresh: Oh, Tatya, recall your past. Remember the earlier village. How small was our village! And look at our village today! Today there is factory near our village. Our field is near the village. Because of the factory, roads will develop and facilities like hospitals, school and colleges, administrative offices will come up. Huge buildings will stand tall in the village. People from outside will come and stay here. The sprawl of the village will increase. Village will develop.

Answer the following questions:

Why is Suresh thinking of going to the factory for work?

What is Tatya worried about?

What changes does Suresh think will occur in the village?

What other changes do you think will occur in the village?

Geographical Explanation

You will notice that because of the factory near the village, the occupation of the people of the village has started changing. More and more people from outside come and start living in the village, transport, hotels, restaurants, messes, retail shops, medical services, etc. start developing. As a result, the basic structure of the village starts changing.

Looking at our country, agriculture is the main occupation in rural areas. Agriculture and its allied occupations are being followed since times immemorial. But now, various industries have started coming up in rural areas. For example, factories, mills, energy plants, multi-purpose projects, etc. People come from the surrounding regions to work here and thus the population of the village increases. To fulfil their needs, other services also develop like medical facilities, food, hospitals, recreation, etc. Consequently, the extent of the village grows and the form of earlier village changes.

The Gram Panchayat providing public services to the village gives way to Municipal council or Municipal Corporation. These bodies provide the different basic services to the citizens like drinking water, roads, transportation, sewerage network, street lighting, etc. Besides these, other facilities like town planning, recreation facilities, tourist places, parks, etc. also need to be developed. Consequently, the village transforms into a town/city.

Teacher's Note

In India, many villages near big cities like Delhi and Mumbai have become towns because of factories and industries. Young people leave farming to work in factories for better pay.

Exam Trick

Remember: When factories come to villages, people get jobs and the village becomes a city. Just like how villages near Mumbai became part of the city because of textile mills.

Points to Remember

Urbanisation means villages turning into cities and towns.
Factories and industries bring people to villages.
New services like hospitals, schools, and shops open in growing areas.
Gram Panchayat changes to Municipal Corporation when a village grows.
More jobs mean more people move to villages and cities.

In 1961, the Census of India has decided to define 'urban' on the basis of following criteria:

More than 75% of the male working population should be engaged in non-agricultural occupations.

The population of the settlement should be more than 5000.

The population density of the settlement should be more than 400 persons per sq.km.

Think About It

Which facilities are necessary to be developed in urban areas for fulfilling the needs of the population?

Try This

Using the statistical information given in the table above, draw a line graph of the percentage of urban population using computer. Discuss in terms of urbanisation. After studying this graph, write the conclusions about urbanisation in our country from 1961-2011 in your own words.

Teacher's Note

Look at the table above. The urban population went from 17.79% in 1961 to 37.07% in 2011. This means more people are moving from villages to cities every year. For example, in Delhi, thousands of people move from small towns to live and work.

Exam Trick

Remember: Urban population means people living in cities and towns. From 1961 to 2011, it almost doubled in India! Just check the table - 17.79% became 37.07%.

Points to Remember

Urban population means people who live in cities and towns.
In 1961, only 17.79% of Indians lived in cities.
By 2011, this grew to 37.07% - a huge increase.
More cities and towns are being created every year.
People move to cities to find jobs and better life.

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