LUSAKA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government was working on a new policy aimed at tackling challenges brought about by rapid urbanization, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Minister of Local Government Vincent Mwale said the government has started reviewing the planning legislation to ensure that it addressed current development challenges posed by rapid urbanization.
Speaking at a two-day event on formulating a national urbanization policy, the Zambian minister said the measure was aimed at enhancing development and improving living standards of citizens.
Zambia, he said, was affected by rapid urbanization which was estimated at 40 percent and projected to increase to 60 percent by 2050.
The rapid urbanization has triggered the mushrooming of informal settlements in urban areas which were prone to various vices that negatively affected the country, he added.
The policy will, among other things, focus on addressing human-made and environmental disasters from unplanned urban population.
It will also work as a vehicle to implement and transform both urban and rural areas.
According to the minister, there was need to strengthen resilience in cities to reduce the risk and impact of disasters.
