Rural settlements – Distribution

A rural settlement is a sparsely populated community far away from densely populated urban areas. It is mostly made up of families that live in small homes on large plots of land. It is a geographically isolated populated area in the countryside that doesn’t have a high population density and is engaged primarily in agriculture, forestry, or hunting. There are two different definitions for rural settlement. The most common definition refers to  villages and hamlets. Hamlets are found in the plains and valleys and often contain large farm houses surrounded by small and scattered fields with a continuous structure. A specific definition of rural settlements divides them into two types — nucleated and dispersed.

Types of Rural Settlements

Settlements all over the country can be broadly categorised into four groups, namely;

1.  Nucleated settlement
2. Fragmented settlement
3. Hamleted settlement
4. Dispersed settlement

Let’s discuss these categories in detail.

Nucleated settlement

Compact settlements are found in areas with a high density of population. They are spread over almost every part of the country. Examples of these settlements include the Indus-Ganga plain of northern India and Pakistan, and the North China plain, Japan, China and Sugao, a village of nearly 2500 residents located in the state of southeast Maharashtra, India Orissa coast, basins of Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh, coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Cauvery delta of Tamil Nadu, etc. 

The population density is very high, and people live near each other. In these settlements, the houses are generally two-storeyed buildings facing narrow lanes. In such settlements, there is no space for front yards or backyards. These settlements are often haphazardly built, with houses jutting onto the roads. There is little open space available for recreational purposes and public utility services like markets, schools and playgrounds.

This type is further classified into five major patterns: 

 (i) Linear pattern

 (ii) Rectangular pattern

 (iii) Circular pattern

 (iv) Square pattern

 (v) Radial pattern

Fragmented Settlement

This settlement is also known as semi-compact or semi-clustered settlement. The houses are closely packed, but there are some open spaces between them. Such settlements are common in rural areas like villages and towns. These open spaces may be used to cultivate crops, graze cattle, or other purposes like parking vehicles, playgrounds, etc. But this arrangement is not very convenient from the point of view of defence purpose.

Bhumkal is a type of tribal settlement found in India. Fragmented settlements are also found along the streams in Manipur, Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh( Rajgarh), various tribal groups of the Chhota Nagpur region. In Nagaland, these are known as Blushing villages.

In each Bhumkal village, the houses are scattered over a large area and situated on a hilltop or along a stream. There are no streets, lanes, or squares in such settlements. Instead, the land is cleared by jhum cultivation (slash-and-burn agriculture). A fence surrounds the settlement made up of bamboo sticks, dry branches, creepers and thorny bushes to protect it from wild animals. The houses are built on wooden platforms raised off the ground and have thatched roofs with walls made out of mud or bamboo sticks tied together with ropes made from creepers. Most houses have only one room used for cooking, sleeping and storing food grains. This settlement is further divided into:

(i) Checkerboard pattern 

(ii) Elongated pattern

(iii) Fan-shaped pattern.

Hamleted Settlements

Hamlets or Dhani settlements are found in the eastern Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and coastal plains of India. These are scattered settlements spread over an area with fields intervening between them.

These settlements are spread over a small area of 5 to 10 hectares and consist of 25 to 50 houses. The distribution of these houses is not uniform. They are often found at the bottom of a hill or by the side of a riverbank.

The houses in these settlements are built on homesteads and consist of 1 or 2 rooms. They are made of bamboo and thatch, mud walls and mud roofs with tile finishings.

Hamlets or Dhani settlements are found in the eastern Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and coastal plains of India. These are scattered settlements spread over an area with fields intervening between them.

These settlements are spread over a small area of 5 to 10 hectares and consist of 25 to 50 houses. The distribution of these houses is not uniform. They are often found at the bottom of a hill or by the side of a riverbank.

The houses in these settlements are built on homesteads and consist of 1 or 2 rooms. They are made of bamboo and thatch, mud walls and mud roofs.

Dispersed Settlements

This type of settlement has another popular name- Isolated settlement. In these settlements, houses or the group of houses (varies from 2-7) are settled at some distance from others. This is common in hunting, gathering and fishing communities. 

Such settlements are found in tribal areas of central India, including Chhota Nagpur plateau, Rajasthan, MP, etc. Hilly areas of north Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu also follow this settlement. 

Such settlements are usually found in areas inhabited by tribes having no sense of territoriality or among those with a shortage of land for cultivation or an abundance of natural resources like forests and pastures, etc.

The members practice shifting type cultivation or nomadic pastoralism, so they keep on moving from one place to another, and therefore they cannot settle at one place permanently.

So such types of settlements are mostly found in tribal areas with dense forests and hilly regions having terraced cultivation.

Conclusion

Rural development is an integrated process. It is a set of economic, social and physical activities involving elements from the public and private sector committed to advancing sustainable growth in rural areas through planning, management and development of the cluster of human settlements. Every rural settlement serves vital functions such as education, communication, medical care, transport, recreation and supply of water. However, as stated above, there are different types of settlements depending on the main activities being carried out in the area. Therefore, the rural settlements tend to be permanent while the urban settlements are more mobile.