Effets de l’urbanisation dur l’environnement physique de Dschang

Abstract

Urbanization is a major concern in all countries. This concern is since the urbanization process has mixed effects on the physical environment. Dschang, for its part, is increasingly in setting the characteristics of an urbanized territory. In other words, the size of its population is increasing exponentially, resulting in unprecedented urban sprawl and a notable deterioration of the physical environment. This observation led to the present study on the “Effects of urbanization on the physical environment of Dschang. The aim is to determine the influence of the urbanization process on the deterioration of the physical environment in the city of Dschang. To bring this study to fruition, we carried out documentary research to situate this study within the scientific field. In practical terms, we carried out field surveys via interviews and questionnaires with local populations, direct field observations and remote sensing observations via Landsat satellite images. It emerged from these investigations that, in just 30 years, the locality has lost almost 4,000 hectares of forested land following the conversion of rural land into urban land, with a proliferation of anarchic construction representing 61% of all buildings in the town. We are witnessing anarchic occupation of space. 85% of the city’s population are tenants. It has been established that the construction of houses is the main factor in environmental degradation, as we can see that populations are settling in fragile or at-risk areas, and that many houses are made of precarious materials, but mainly cinderblock, 58% of houses in urban areas. The surveys also showed that the physical environment is in a state of serious deterioration. Watercourses are polluted, communication routes are in a state of serious deterioration, and the size of the population leads to a considerable production of household waste, the management of which is problematic for the city of Dschang.