Research on Humanities and Social Sciences www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper)2224-5766 ISSN (Online)2225-0484 (Online) Vol.5, No.14, 2015 98 Urbanization Processes: Environmental and Health Effects in Ibadan Metropolis OLAWUNI, PETER. O Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria POPOOLA, A. S. Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke Nigeria KOLAWOLE ABIMBOLA S Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke Nigeria Abstract This study examined impact of environmental health in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. Data for the study were obtained through questionnaire administered on residents in selected core areas of the metropolis. Systematic random sampling was used in selecting the respondents. Findings revealed that the proportion of households occupying one room was 48.1% while only 33.4% have in-house water connection. Significant proportion of the ten top diseases reported in the city is communicable and infectious diseases. The first four of these diseases (diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia and tuberculosis) are those that have been linked directly with contaminated water, poor sewage and solid wastes disposal as well as poor housing conditions. Furthermore, the situations of ill-health in Ibadan have implicated urbanization as a dominant factor. The study therefore concluded that the environmental health problems in Ibadan are largely explained by ineffective urban planning and management functions. Keywords: Urbanization, Health, Environment, Planning. Introduction The present demographic trends indicate that twenty-five years after the turn of this century, the world population will have risen from 6.0 to over 8.0 billion. An intriguing aspect of this growth is that close to half of this will live in the cities of developing countries. It has been estimated that cities currently account for two- thirds of the population growth in the developing world. A comparison of the present situation in the world regions shows that although Africa ranks among the least urbanized, this continent records the highest rate of urban growth (UNPFA, 1992). Typifying the situation in Africa, Nigeria exhibits rapid urban growth pattern over the years. However, unlike many other African countries, Nigeria’s history of urbanization predated the colonial era. At the same time, colonial administration and postcolonial activities appear to have strengthened the urban phenomenon in this country. A concomitant of the rapid urban growth rate in the developing world in general and Nigeria in particular, is the fast deteriorating environmental conditions in the cities. This has given rise to increasing concern, more so as there are growing evidences of a direct relationship between the human environment and health (Bradlet et al, 1992). Such urban environmental factors as sources and quality of water supply, sewage disposal methods, housing conditions, food storage and hygiene, impact explicitly in the health of the urban populace. Apart from the prevalence of communicable diseases in the developing countries urban environment, non-communicable disease which hitherto were directly associated with industrialized countries, are becoming prevalent. This is as a result of changing modes of production as well as exposure to western cultural practices and lifestyle (Akhta, 1987). The challenges posed to policy-makers, planners and academics are therefore immense. However, a favorable and effective response to these challenges calls for a thorough understanding of the urban environment and health interface on locality specific basis. This necessarily requires global experience shading through case studies. The intention in this paper therefore is to present the environmental health situation in Ibadan City as well as discuss the existing urban planning responses to the prevailing issues. Towards achieving this goal, the next section is concerned with a broad review of the association between urban environmental and health. The section that follows focuses on aspects of environment health in Ibadan. The next section highlights those pathological indications that result from poor urban environmental situation in the city. These are followed up in the last substantive section by a discussion on urban planning responses to the Ibadan environmental health issues. (1989) linked a reduction in infant mortality with improved water and sanitation. Further, the result of a study is an indicant city shoed a reduction in the incidence of diarrhea from 4.15 to 1.73 per cent over a period of five years, following the introduction of a water supply level of 70 liters per capita per day (WHO, 1992). Studies attempting to establish the relationship between water supply and health have also implicated urban residents’ behavior as a factor. For example, Molbak et al (1989) in their study in Monrovia found that 19 per cent of water samples taken at source were contaminated; whereas this CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by International Institute for Science, Technology and Education (IISTE): E-Journals