By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/bangladesh-megacity Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Rise of a Megacity: Bangladesh’s Dhaka Sees Population Boom World Sep 8, 2010 1:02 PM EDT Nearly 500,000 migrants flow into Dhaka, Bangladesh, each year, leaving the countryside to try to make a living in the big city. By 2025, the United Nations estimates Dhaka will grow to about 20 million, rivaling Mexico City, Beijing and Shanghai. The massive influx of people poses challenges of overcrowding, pollution, poverty and overtaxing services such as water and electricity, some analysts say. But this phenomenon is not unique to Dhaka. It’s happening in other urban centers around the world, where people are motivated by economic reasons or environmental ones, such as when monsoons wipe out their farms. Erik German and Solana Pyne of GlobalPost are looking at the future of Dhaka in the first of a five-part series on the world’s “megacities.” As part of their reporting on Dhaka, the series will probe: The dreams of Dhaka’s garment girls. The disasters that are driving the mass migration to Dhaka. The environmental and societal benefits of these changing tides. The fifth part of the series looks at possible ways of addressing the potential risks these megacities pose. You can watch the first report on Dhaka on Wednesday’s NewsHour. Here’s a preview: We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Western Sahara, Guantanamo Bay, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, Germany and Ireland. @NewsHourWorld
Nearly 500,000 migrants flow into Dhaka, Bangladesh, each year, leaving the countryside to try to make a living in the big city. By 2025, the United Nations estimates Dhaka will grow to about 20 million, rivaling Mexico City, Beijing and Shanghai. The massive influx of people poses challenges of overcrowding, pollution, poverty and overtaxing services such as water and electricity, some analysts say. But this phenomenon is not unique to Dhaka. It’s happening in other urban centers around the world, where people are motivated by economic reasons or environmental ones, such as when monsoons wipe out their farms. Erik German and Solana Pyne of GlobalPost are looking at the future of Dhaka in the first of a five-part series on the world’s “megacities.” As part of their reporting on Dhaka, the series will probe: The dreams of Dhaka’s garment girls. The disasters that are driving the mass migration to Dhaka. The environmental and societal benefits of these changing tides. The fifth part of the series looks at possible ways of addressing the potential risks these megacities pose. You can watch the first report on Dhaka on Wednesday’s NewsHour. Here’s a preview: We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now