The pattern of occupation in villages is typical; it is based on agriculture with a few secondary occupations to provide necessary support services. This is certainly not enough for survival. Hence a constant migration is taking place from the rural areas to the cities. The cities are getting overcrowded because of the continuous flow from the rural areas to the city in search of better prospects through education and employment. Great opportunities, a flexible social set-up and the prospects of a fashionable life attract people to the cities. This movement of people to the cities is causing problems of accommodation. Consequently, in our cities, we are now seeing not only slum-dwellers, but even pavement-dwellers. This problem cannot be solved easily unless factories and industrial establishments come up in the villages and unless better educational and employment opportunities are made available to the rural people. -MADIHA ASIF, Karachi, via e-mail, May 24.