The Impact of Urbanization on Environment in Africa. The Case of Yeka Sub City, Addis Ababa

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2019 in the subject Geography / Earth Science - Physical Geography, Geomorphology, Environmental Studies, grade: A, Ethiopian Civil Service University (College of Urban Development and Engineering), course: Research, language: English, abstract: The general objective of this senior essay is to assess the impact that urbanization has brought to the environment in Yeka sub city.

The research is descriptive in its very nature. Besides, both quantitative and qualitative research approach is used. Simple random sampling technique particularly lottery method is used to select samples from the total population. Both primary and secondary data sources have been employed, and questionnaire, interview and observation are employed to collect the required data. Furthermore, quantitative (i.e. descriptive statistics specially frequency distribution and percentage) and qualitative (i.e., verbal analysis or narration) data analysis methods have been launched to analyze the collected data. Data are mainly presented in tabular, pictorial and textual form. Continuous population growth in Yeka sub city resulted in the encroachment of forest land mostly through informal way and this resulted in the minimization of forest cover and the alteration of land use from natural forest into human-made residential and other built-up areas on a continuous manner. Besides the formal settlement, made by the legal allotment of land, the informal settlement is very high and even difficult to control.

This indicates the high magnitude of urbanization in the sub city. The main causes for the continuous urban population growth or urbanization are influx of people into the city of Addis Ababa, ever-increasing natural birth rate and reduced mortality rate. The impact that urbanization has on the environment encompass deforestation, land slide and soil degradation, excessive waste generation and water and land pollution, and air pollution. Protecting agricultural and forest land as well as public open spaces from human settlement, containing the growth of the sub city within limited square with the help of policy instrument that earmark regulatory environment, restrict the geographic or spatial growth of the city, facilitate the management of urban growth and protect/preserve public open spaces and forest lands, reducing the influx of people through the creation of equal development opportunities for all rural and urban centers and implementing family planning is compulsory, and controlling informal settlement with a very strict regulatory environment is decisively needed.