Analysis of Rural Settlement Expansion Pattern

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Bangladesh, with an agrarian socio-economic base, is characterized primarily by a rural settlement structure. The word “rural” area is comes from the Latin word “Ruralisrus” which is equivalent with English word “the country”. Similarly the word “settlement” comes from the English word “sett” meaning “Seat” or “setlan”.[1] Expansion of rural settlement means human behaviours that are created as a physical environment on rural area. Physical environment can be treated as settlement form and pattern or chronological area coverage.

About 76.61 percent people live in rural Bangladesh.[2] The present vegetation cover of the country and the landscape indicate several millennia of human activity. The original vegetation cover has been lost and the basic landscape has been changed considerably by levelling, tracing of land and also irrigation practices, and they have derived their characters from the pattern of human settlements development, homestead rising, pond construction for domestic water supply and agriculture.[3] Land resource is limited and land man ratio is only 26 decimal in Bangladesh.[4]

Land pressures and land use conflict is always continuing in rural area, Horizontal expansion is very common than vertical expansion. For the expansion of the rural settlement make more pressure on the agricultural land in the rural area, the agricultural land is decreasing.

Generally settlements expanded at the concentric place for using some common facilities. Such as road, school, market, water supply, medical facilities etc. It is also found that when a new road constructed then the settlement is expanded along it. The cause for this type of expansion to get more accessibility. But for spontaneous settlement expansion some of the spatial consequences are found in rural livelihood.

Population growth is the main cause of indiscriminate settlement expansion. Most of the lands are converting into the small unit. Because the joint families of the rural area are converting as single household and they need separate space for living. More and more lands are converting as settlement. Finally, for haphazard expansion of rural settlements, the cultivable lands are decreasing day by day.   

Now a days it is necessary to guide the settlement expansion in a rational approach both rural and urban area. Especially for the rural area the settlement expansion guidelines are necessary for the optimum utilisation of limited land resources.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

þ To explore the trend of settlement expansion from 1971 to 2005 in the study area.

þ To identify the responsible factors of settlements expansion in the study area.

LITERATURE REVIEW

There are ample literatures on rural settlement expansion issue. Some of the relevant literatures, both published and unpublished are reviewed to identify the knowledge gap.

A) Mrs. Sabiha Sultana (1993) in her book provides an idea about rural settlements. She evaluates the character, regional variation, spatial variation, controlling factor, and policy guideline of rural settlement. She pointed out that most of the rural settlements have grown only for natural factors and the density of settlement is high.[5] But all the aspects of her study are conducted at macro scale.  The settlement expansion trend, responsible factors and effects are not so clear, especially at local context.

B) Mr. Md. Emranul Haq (1996) in his BURP thesis analyse the land use pattern of a village and its impact of the socio-economic characteristics. He identified that the rural settlement expansion have a great impact on the rural land use change. He showed that in 1974 total population of Chunkundia village was 1338 with total cultivable land of 329 acre. But in 1990 total amount of cultivable land stands only 300 acre.[6] But he did not quantify the impact. Moreover, discussion on the responsible factors of rural settlement expansion is absent.

C) Mr. V. Skouratovski (1971) in his report discussed about overall picture of rural settlements, general statements concerning the methods and forms of planning rural areas and rural settlement, organizational, financial and administrative problems of planning and development of rural areas.[7] Study has been relating to the development of rural areas in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the Federal republic of Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. The rural characteristics of Europe and Bangladesh may not same.

D) Mr. Abdul Baqee (1998) in his book discuss about rural settlements. In the first chapter he gave the historical concept about the formation of rural settlements. In second chapter and seventh chapter gave the concept about the type of settlement. In eleventh chapter about the planning of rural settlement. He identified some problems of rural settlement planning that are land use planning, priority on city, care for elite, care for male e.t.c.[8] But all the discussions about rural settlements was concerned at macro level and the local issues are ignored. Here it is not mentioned that what are the factors responsible for settlement expansion. 

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

By all the reviewed literatures, it is identified that the rural settlement expansion pattern is very important for physical planning in the rural area and socio-economic development of rural population and those covered macro level that did not satisfy the local context. Thus the present study provides a research gap as well as research potentiality in the study of rural settlement in the country with special attention to trend of rural settlement expansion, responsible factors of settlement expansion from 1971 to 2005.Here, also tried to admittance the effect of the growth of Khulna city on surrounding rural area like Sachaibunia village.  

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

From the beginning of the study, it was faced various kinds of problems. The major limitations of the study are as follows-  

p  This total study is based on primary survey. But at time respondent survey of survey of the study area often provide misleading information related to year of homestead establishment, reason for homestead establishment etc.This misleading information created some problem in data analysis and interpretation and further justification and enquire of the data was done. This ultimately delayed data analysis and interpretation. 

p  The updated CS (Cadastral Survey) map was not available in the study area or Collectorate Record Room of Khulna. So these maps have not been providing accurate information about land plot id and Current Settlement.

p  This area is predominant by Hindu from the earlier period. But recently, some Hindu community people migrate form this area to India and other area. But their migration rate and nature cannot be identified properly.    

CONCEPTS AND DEFINATIONS

p  Rural Area: Rural area is that where maximum population are depended upon agriculture and the service facilities are less and the density is very low. The primary occupations of the inhabitants are mostly agricultural activities.

p  Settlement: Settlement is place where have people come to live and constructed their homes and where few or no people lived before.

p  Settlement expansion: Human behaviour that are created as physical environment in an area.

p  Settlement pattern: Pattern of settlement indicates the geometrical arrangement of a large number of settlements and is applicable to a set of large number of rural settlement. Density may be divided as low, moderate, high.

p  Kutcha road: Un-metalled construction of road.

p  HHB road: Road where construct a bricks cover.

p  Pucca road: Metallic/ paved construction of road. 

p  Bazar: Type of market where local product are selling.

p  Bill: Stretches of low land which remain under water for all or most part of year and may be comparable to an inland lake.

p  Monder: Temple/religious place for Hindu community people. 

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[1] MD. Nahid Mhamud (1997),”Indiscriminate Expansion of Rural Settlement and Its Spatial Consequences: A case study of Horintana Village, Batiaghata Thana, Khulna” Unpublished BURP Thesis, Khulna University, p. 8, cited from Nandalal, Rural Settlement Planning and Development, Chaugh Publication, 1981.

[2]GOB (2001), Pleminary Report of Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning, Dhaka, p-6.

[3]Sabiha Sultana (1993) Rural Settlements in Bangladesh: Spatial Pattern and Development, Graphosman, Dhaka, p. 29, Cited from Bridget and Allchin, 1968, The Birth of Indian Civilization, McGraw-Hill.

[4] “Daily Itafaq” Dated 09.04.2005

[5]Sabiha Sultana (1993) “Rural Settlements in Bangladesh: Spatial Pattern and Development” Graphosman, Dhaka, pp. 23, 24 & 67. 

[6] MD. Emranul Haq (1996), “Land Use Analysis of Village: A Study of Chakundia Village, Dumuria Thana, Khulna” Unpublished Thesis, Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, p.42

[7] Mr. V. Skouratovski (1971), “Planning and Development of Rural Settlements: Part-I” A Report on the Pilot Inquiry Economic Commission for Europe, Committee on Housing, Building and Planning, Working Party on Urban Renewal and Planning, United Nations Economic and Social Council, p.2

[8] Abdul Baqee (1998), “Rural Settlements” Bongo Prokasony, Dhaka, pp.6 & 570