Housing and waste disposal are major issue in cities. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?

Almost half the world’s population now live in urban areas and, as cities grow even larger, conditions for city dwellers are likely to get worse. Two of the most crucial problems, it can be argued, are housing and waste disposal. Of these, housing is undoubtedly the most serious. People need clean, safe accommodation in which to live and raise their families. However, as population rise, some people are forced to move to unsuitable housing which may lack such basic services as clean water and electricity, while others may actually become homeless. Any civilized society should try to prevent this situation. It is therefore essential for the authorities in major cities to take responsibility for the wellbeing of their poorest citizens and make the provision of secure, affordable housing a priority in their planning and budgeting. Waste disposal may seem a more trivial problem but uncollected rubbish is not only potentially dangerous but can also cause serious diseases. In the past, waste disposal was cheap and easy, as much rubbish was simply dumped in a convenient place. Today, however, there are numerous problems, including increased transport costs, which make waste disposal expensive, and a shortage of suitable space for depositing waste. The obvious answer is for communities to create less rubbish in the first place. Manufacturers must be persuaded to reduce the amount of packaging they produce, and people need to recycle their household waste efficiently In conclusion, it is clear that these are complex problems which will not be solved easily. However, unless we take steps to tackle them now they will represent even more serious challenges in future.