Defusing the population bomb
Monday, 14 July 2008
THERE is no parallel of a small country of about 55,000 square miles crammed with a population of over 140 million that happens to be today's Bangladesh. Bangladesh also is the world's most densely populated country in terms of the number of people on average living on every mile of its territories. The more worrisome aspect is that its population still remains on a high growth track of 1.48 per cent annually. At this rate, its population would soar to some 180 million as early as 2020 and to the mind boggling figure of 280 million by 2085. If this is allowed to happen, then this country would indeed very likely become not fit for reasonably decent human existence.
The Malthusian spectre of overpopulation not balanced by supporting resources for sustaining the population would almost surely come into play and make life and living very wretched. Already, the stresses of a huge population are evident everywhere. Per capita income cannot rise because the pie of the national income has to be divided among too many recipients including the fast rising number of the additional ones. The ever growing unemployment woes are getting worse and worse as jobs are found to be scarce compared to the needs of the fast rising population. Similar stresses are noted everywhere in health, housing, nutrition, transportation, education, etc.
With a stabilizing population growth rate or a smaller population, the needs in each of the sectors could be progressively met better and become manageable. But the same is proving to be impossible from the sheer number making greater and greater demands on limited resources. Thus, the imperative of population control should be starkly apparent to all, specially to the policy planners who have been addressing the issue or rather not giving attention to it with the great seriousness it deserves. While taming of population growth has been signaling as a grim national priority, the policy makers and the ones in the government of this country have not been serious enough to address the problem on a priority basis. This is most unfortunate and such a mentality ought to be shaken up by the statistics mentioned above which ought to awaken the government of this country from its inaction.
Privately-led activities are there in population control. But the supreme responsibility for spending public funds efficiently to that end should be among the most pressing priorities of the government of this very overpopulated country. There is no time to lose in reducing the population growth rate. It must be immediately recognized as one of the very major national problems. The identification should be followed up urgently by completely revamping the government-run various population control activities which are very shabbily run at the moment. According to available statistics, nearly 20 per cent of people who wish to adopt family planning practices have no access to counseling or receiving of contraceptives. This is simply unacceptable and must change. The corruption and complete lack of accountability in the programme must be shaken off and dynamism and efficiency, ensured.
Apart from the restructuring of the official population control activities, a decisive battle should be started to change people's psychologies and attitudes. The scourge of early marriage must be changed by improving social awareness of it. Sixty per cent of the females in the country become mothers by the age of 19 and this alone should explain why it is proving so difficult to control the population boom. The situation in this regard calls for regular mass campaigns to motivate people away from early marriages.
The Malthusian spectre of overpopulation not balanced by supporting resources for sustaining the population would almost surely come into play and make life and living very wretched. Already, the stresses of a huge population are evident everywhere. Per capita income cannot rise because the pie of the national income has to be divided among too many recipients including the fast rising number of the additional ones. The ever growing unemployment woes are getting worse and worse as jobs are found to be scarce compared to the needs of the fast rising population. Similar stresses are noted everywhere in health, housing, nutrition, transportation, education, etc.
With a stabilizing population growth rate or a smaller population, the needs in each of the sectors could be progressively met better and become manageable. But the same is proving to be impossible from the sheer number making greater and greater demands on limited resources. Thus, the imperative of population control should be starkly apparent to all, specially to the policy planners who have been addressing the issue or rather not giving attention to it with the great seriousness it deserves. While taming of population growth has been signaling as a grim national priority, the policy makers and the ones in the government of this country have not been serious enough to address the problem on a priority basis. This is most unfortunate and such a mentality ought to be shaken up by the statistics mentioned above which ought to awaken the government of this country from its inaction.
Privately-led activities are there in population control. But the supreme responsibility for spending public funds efficiently to that end should be among the most pressing priorities of the government of this very overpopulated country. There is no time to lose in reducing the population growth rate. It must be immediately recognized as one of the very major national problems. The identification should be followed up urgently by completely revamping the government-run various population control activities which are very shabbily run at the moment. According to available statistics, nearly 20 per cent of people who wish to adopt family planning practices have no access to counseling or receiving of contraceptives. This is simply unacceptable and must change. The corruption and complete lack of accountability in the programme must be shaken off and dynamism and efficiency, ensured.
Apart from the restructuring of the official population control activities, a decisive battle should be started to change people's psychologies and attitudes. The scourge of early marriage must be changed by improving social awareness of it. Sixty per cent of the females in the country become mothers by the age of 19 and this alone should explain why it is proving so difficult to control the population boom. The situation in this regard calls for regular mass campaigns to motivate people away from early marriages.