Some remarkable observations about the Growth and the associated problems of Thiruvananthapuram City

The process of urbanization and population pressure leads to an unplanned growth in cities, the deterioration of the living conditions and result in the worsening of the environmental scenario. City growth has caused problems since early times, especially the supply of food and water and the disposal of effluents.

Thiruvananthapuram is the capital city of Kerala state and also the headquarters of Thiruvananthapuram district. The beauty of the city, from the very first days of its modern era development, has been its most remarkable attribute, and it remains to this day the cornerstone of its economy, its international reputation and the feeling of well being of its residents. The past decade has seen a number of changes in the beauty of the city unparalleled both in their degree and in their interactability. Past few years saw a tremendous growth in the city, which has had the direct effect on turning natural hillsides into building sites, sometimes esthetically benign effects but sometimes with detrimental effects. Large expanses of the city and the surrounding areas open spaces have come to be covered with tract homes and commercial shopping strips. The growth has brought widened streets, increased concentrations of litter, more wear and tear and greater amounts of graffiti.

The multiplication of tertiary employment provides the main reason for the growth of the city during the past few decades, for the new jobs attracts a flood of aspiring migrants to the town and create a virtually insatiable demand for office space and housing. When taken into account the past few decades it is worth noting that the land use in and around the city has undergone a severe change. Most of the low-lying paddy fields are converted for settlements. The city has grown in its size and the corporation limit has extended taking a good portion of the surrounding panchayats. The roads has become congested, the population pressure has increased. The increase of impervious surface in the upper slope and valley portion increased the surface runoff during rainy season and made the low-lying areas vulnerable for flooding. It has in turn aggravated the flood situation in the city.