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India's Urban Landscape – Class 8 Social Science notes, important questions and MCQs

NCERT Class 8 Social Science, chapter 14. Notes, key terms, important questions with answers and MCQs.

Chapter overview

More and more Indians are living in towns and cities. Urbanisation brings jobs, education and services, but also problems such as slums, traffic, pollution and pressure on water and housing. Planned development, good public transport and citizen participation can make cities liveable and sustainable.

Urbanisation in India

About 31 per cent of Indians lived in urban areas in 2011, and the share is rising.
People migrate to cities for jobs, education, health care and better facilities.
Large cities with more than one crore people, such as Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, are called megacities.

Problems of cities

Shortage of affordable housing leads to slums with poor sanitation and water supply.
Traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, and heaps of solid waste affect health.
Urban flooding, heat islands and shortage of drinking water are growing problems.

Making cities better

Schemes such as the Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT (both launched in 2015) aim to improve infrastructure and services.
Metro rail, buses, cycling and walking reduce traffic and pollution.
Waste segregation, recycling, rainwater harvesting, parks and participation of residents make cities sustainable.

Key terms

Urbanisation: the increase in the share of people living in towns and cities
Megacity: a very large city with more than one crore (10 million) people
Slum: a densely populated urban area with poor housing and lack of basic services
Urban heat island: a city area that is warmer than its surroundings because of buildings and roads

Important questions with answers

Why do people migrate to cities?2 marks

People move to cities in search of jobs, better wages, higher education, health care and facilities such as electricity, transport and entertainment. Lack of work and facilities in villages also pushes them to cities.

What are the main problems faced by Indian cities?3 marks

Indian cities face shortage of affordable housing, which leads to slums; traffic congestion and air and noise pollution; shortage of drinking water and poor sewage systems; heaps of solid waste; and urban flooding during heavy rain.

Describe urbanisation in India, the problems it creates and the measures to make cities sustainable.5 marks

Urbanisation means the growing share of people living in towns and cities. In 2011 about 31 per cent of Indians lived in urban areas, and the share is rising as people migrate for jobs, education, health care and better facilities. Megacities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata have more than one crore people. Rapid urban growth creates problems: shortage of affordable housing leads to slums with poor water and sanitation; traffic congestion and vehicles cause air and noise pollution; solid waste piles up; drinking water is scarce in many cities; concrete surfaces cause urban flooding and heat islands. To make cities sustainable, governments have launched schemes such as the Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT (2015) to improve infrastructure; metro rail, buses, cycling lanes and pedestrian paths reduce traffic; affordable housing schemes help slum dwellers; segregation of waste, recycling and composting reduce garbage; rainwater harvesting and protection of lakes ease water shortage; and parks and green belts reduce heat. Active participation of residents, through ward committees and resident associations, is also essential.

Quick revision

About 31 per cent urban in 2011.
Migration for jobs and services drives urbanisation.
Problems: slums, traffic, pollution, water, waste.
Solutions: planning, public transport, waste management.

Exam tips

Present urban problems and solutions as matching pairs, for example traffic → public transport.
Use one Indian city as an example in long answers.

Practice MCQs

The increase in the share of people living in cities is called
1. ruralisation
2. migration only
3. urbanisation
4. industrialisation only
Show answer
Answer: (c) urbanisation. Cities are growing in India.
A city with more than one crore people is a
1. megacity
2. village
3. town
4. nagar panchayat
Show answer
Answer: (a) megacity. Mumbai and Delhi are examples.
Metro rail mainly helps to
1. increase traffic
2. build slums
3. reduce traffic congestion and pollution
4. stop migration
Show answer
Answer: (c) reduce traffic congestion and pollution. It carries many people quickly.
According to the 2011 Census, about what share of Indians lived in urban areas
1. 11 per cent
2. 31 per cent
3. 51 per cent
4. 71 per cent
Show answer
Answer: (b) 31 per cent. The share is increasing.
Areas in cities with poor housing and lack of basic services are called
1. suburbs
2. satellite towns
3. smart cities
4. slums
Show answer
Answer: (d) slums. They lack water and sanitation.
The Smart Cities Mission was launched in
1. 2005
2. 2020
3. 1991
4. 2015
Show answer
Answer: (d) 2015. It aims to improve urban infrastructure.
Why are cities often warmer than nearby rural areas
1. concrete, roads and vehicles trap and produce heat
2. they have more trees
3. they receive more rain
4. they are at higher altitude
Show answer
Answer: (a) concrete, roads and vehicles trap and produce heat. This is the urban heat island effect.
Which step best reduces the problem of solid waste in cities
1. dumping waste in rivers
2. segregating waste at source and recycling
3. burning all waste openly
4. ignoring it
Show answer
Answer: (b) segregating waste at source and recycling. Segregation allows recycling and composting.

All chapters of Class 8 Social Science

Written by Kundali IQ from standard, well-established facts to help with revision. This is not an official NCERT publication; always read your textbook too.