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Unofficial Settlements Increasing

Unofficial Settlements Increasing
Unofficial Settlements Increasing

A sociologist specializing in rural development has voiced concern over the increasing number of people residing in shantytowns on the outskirts of large cities as well as the state of poverty and sanitation in those areas. “There are about 19,000 villages in the country, some of which have only 3-5 households,” due to the increasing migration to urban areas, said Mohsen Ebrahimpour, member of Iranian Sociology Association. Noting that the number of marginalized population (living in unofficial settlements) has surpassed 12 million, he said a total of 11 million in the country’s poor and remote regions are at risk of malnutrition. “Marginalization and food poverty are separate issues both of which must be tackled by the competent authorities on priority,” he stressed, ISNA reported. According to the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the rate of urbanization in Iran has surpassed 70% as of 2014.

 

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