Peri-urban Areas Under Pressure

Thousands of people move daily to neighbouring cities, growing peri-urban settlements in search of employment, healthcare, education, and business opportunities. Changunarayan, Banepa, Dhulikhel, Tokha, Kirtipur, Budhanilkantha, and the other peripheries of Pokhara and Bharatpur have seen an increase in built-up areas at the expense of arable farmlands in recent years. Land cover and land usage are always shifting. Houses, colonies, roads, commercial buildings, and industries are being built on these farms. This shift represents the dramatic urbanisation of rural areas, turning them into peri-urban areas. However, there are a lot of several crisis that comes along with this increase.