Alarming population growth rate is a threat to future generation
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Mahbubul Haque Chowdhury
BANGLADESH is a small country, having a geographical territory of 56,977 square miles. Out of 56,977 square miles, forest area is almost 18,000 square miles whereas its river areas near about 8,000 square miles. Every year thousands of acres of land are going under water due to erosion. Again thousand of acres of land are being taken away by the new generation who are building their houses, markets, schools, colleges, mosques, stadiums, and new office complexes etc. As a result, the size of cultivable land and dwelling houses is being squeezed.
Our size of population was somewhat 40 million (4.0 crore) during the '50s of the last country. It shoot up to 70 million (7.0 crore) at the time of our independence. The present size is almost 150 million (15 crore). If Bangladeshis living abroad are reckoned, the figure may exceed 150 million (15 crore). During the last 30 years, our population growth could not be kept under control. This growth was somehow maintained at 1.48 per cent.
But this too is an alarming rate of population growth for a small country like Bangladesh that is already over-crowded. Almost in all the cities, the density has reached over 1000 per square mile. Dhaka is becoming uninhabitable as people from countryside are flocking to the capital city for all purposes like jobs, education, hospitalisation etc. Our traffic jam on every road will clearly speak out about the unending wave of population in and around Dhaka. Within next five to ten years, people living Dhaka should have to remain confined for hours together, resulting in severe wastage of job hours.
None of the government has taken any serious plan to help combat this alarming situation. We are wasting time on matters which will not benefit our next generation. The present generation is not thinking about the alarming growth of birth rate which is narrowing down the scope for future development on a sustainable basis.
During the '60s in the last century, the population control programme was more or less a successful programme. The products were readily available. There were motivational work at the grassroots. But this work is now going on a low key basis. The slum-dwellers, floating population and poor people living in the countryside are not aware of birth control methods nor is any preventive material being supplied to them at free of cost. None of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) workers are engaged at the field level for motivational work.
If a survey is conducted in matters relating to the above-mentioned areas, we will notice early marriage and frequent child birth. The village people who do not register the marriage and do not bother about dowry money, are getting married and divorcing the wives, after the birth of one or two children. Most poor people marry twice and thrice. They take it as an easy entertainment. If we make a survey in the slum areas of urban population, the same picture will come out. Additional children for some of the families are considered by their members as an additional source of income because those who head such families engage their children for begging and also use them as child labour.
In the slum areas producing three/four children is a common phenomenon. Of late, I have noticed some family planning workers are knocking at doors of flats in posh area and enquiring the old men/women whether they practise family planning or not. Family planning programme should be taken up with all force at command to stop the alarming population growth rate. A good part of our manpower does not contribute anything to the nation; rather, they are a burden. Our future generation will not excuse us, if we cannot leave them a house to live on.
The writer is a former General Manager, Agrani Bank and Sonali Bank
BANGLADESH is a small country, having a geographical territory of 56,977 square miles. Out of 56,977 square miles, forest area is almost 18,000 square miles whereas its river areas near about 8,000 square miles. Every year thousands of acres of land are going under water due to erosion. Again thousand of acres of land are being taken away by the new generation who are building their houses, markets, schools, colleges, mosques, stadiums, and new office complexes etc. As a result, the size of cultivable land and dwelling houses is being squeezed.
Our size of population was somewhat 40 million (4.0 crore) during the '50s of the last country. It shoot up to 70 million (7.0 crore) at the time of our independence. The present size is almost 150 million (15 crore). If Bangladeshis living abroad are reckoned, the figure may exceed 150 million (15 crore). During the last 30 years, our population growth could not be kept under control. This growth was somehow maintained at 1.48 per cent.
But this too is an alarming rate of population growth for a small country like Bangladesh that is already over-crowded. Almost in all the cities, the density has reached over 1000 per square mile. Dhaka is becoming uninhabitable as people from countryside are flocking to the capital city for all purposes like jobs, education, hospitalisation etc. Our traffic jam on every road will clearly speak out about the unending wave of population in and around Dhaka. Within next five to ten years, people living Dhaka should have to remain confined for hours together, resulting in severe wastage of job hours.
None of the government has taken any serious plan to help combat this alarming situation. We are wasting time on matters which will not benefit our next generation. The present generation is not thinking about the alarming growth of birth rate which is narrowing down the scope for future development on a sustainable basis.
During the '60s in the last century, the population control programme was more or less a successful programme. The products were readily available. There were motivational work at the grassroots. But this work is now going on a low key basis. The slum-dwellers, floating population and poor people living in the countryside are not aware of birth control methods nor is any preventive material being supplied to them at free of cost. None of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) workers are engaged at the field level for motivational work.
If a survey is conducted in matters relating to the above-mentioned areas, we will notice early marriage and frequent child birth. The village people who do not register the marriage and do not bother about dowry money, are getting married and divorcing the wives, after the birth of one or two children. Most poor people marry twice and thrice. They take it as an easy entertainment. If we make a survey in the slum areas of urban population, the same picture will come out. Additional children for some of the families are considered by their members as an additional source of income because those who head such families engage their children for begging and also use them as child labour.
In the slum areas producing three/four children is a common phenomenon. Of late, I have noticed some family planning workers are knocking at doors of flats in posh area and enquiring the old men/women whether they practise family planning or not. Family planning programme should be taken up with all force at command to stop the alarming population growth rate. A good part of our manpower does not contribute anything to the nation; rather, they are a burden. Our future generation will not excuse us, if we cannot leave them a house to live on.
The writer is a former General Manager, Agrani Bank and Sonali Bank