For a manageable population
Khademul Islam | Sunday, 20 July 2008
A great deal of publicity was given some years ago to the decreasing population growth rate in Bangladesh, with the world's highest population density. Population growth rate, that was well above 3.0 per cent annually in the seventies, was declining to below 1.5 per cent in the last decade. This was considered to be a huge success. Success it was, no doubt, but not enough to offset the prospect of the current population doubling well before the end of the century.
The current population of the country is estimated to be around 150 million. However, if population continues to grow at the current official annual growth rate of over 1.45 per cent, it (population) would reach 280 million by 2085. These figures, released recently on the occasion of the World Population Day, highlighted how Bangladesh is going to be burdened by a much bigger population unless it steps to drastically reduce the growth rate.
So far, Bangladesh could maintain a balance between its growing population and the production increases in various sectors to support its population. But production capacities, some years from now, would make it difficult to maintain this balance.
Hardly, then there is any room to be complacent about the current state of population control drive. Zero population growth rate is unlikely to be achieved by Bangladesh like in China or the Scandinavian countries, anytime soon. Strong social and cultural barriers would be there against such initiatives. But Bangladesh can try to effectively bring the growth rate to below one per cent in a decade from now if the goal is pursued earnestly. A growth rate below the present one would mean a manageable population by the middle of the century. But keeping the growth rate below one per cent would depend on extending contraceptive practices extensively at the grassroots among the poor needing a much more efficient and corruption-free official population control programme.
The door-to-door visitors of the family planning department hardly do their job. Though paid by the government for regularly visiting each house to advise all the fertile couples, they grossly fail in their task. They are quite casual in approach they turning at long intervals or not at all. They extort market prices for the contraceptives meant for free distribution or at nominal prices. It discourages the users. The programme of operating on men and women, who opt for permanent control of reproductive capacities is in shambles. The award money and other prizes to be given to those who accept the operations are misappropriated by the family planning personnel. The programme is far from popular due to lack of its publicity and lack of commitment of the family planning workers.
The government needs to get rid of corruption in the official population control programme and revamp the programme. It has to pay attention to its population control programmes to make it efficient and effective.
The current population of the country is estimated to be around 150 million. However, if population continues to grow at the current official annual growth rate of over 1.45 per cent, it (population) would reach 280 million by 2085. These figures, released recently on the occasion of the World Population Day, highlighted how Bangladesh is going to be burdened by a much bigger population unless it steps to drastically reduce the growth rate.
So far, Bangladesh could maintain a balance between its growing population and the production increases in various sectors to support its population. But production capacities, some years from now, would make it difficult to maintain this balance.
Hardly, then there is any room to be complacent about the current state of population control drive. Zero population growth rate is unlikely to be achieved by Bangladesh like in China or the Scandinavian countries, anytime soon. Strong social and cultural barriers would be there against such initiatives. But Bangladesh can try to effectively bring the growth rate to below one per cent in a decade from now if the goal is pursued earnestly. A growth rate below the present one would mean a manageable population by the middle of the century. But keeping the growth rate below one per cent would depend on extending contraceptive practices extensively at the grassroots among the poor needing a much more efficient and corruption-free official population control programme.
The door-to-door visitors of the family planning department hardly do their job. Though paid by the government for regularly visiting each house to advise all the fertile couples, they grossly fail in their task. They are quite casual in approach they turning at long intervals or not at all. They extort market prices for the contraceptives meant for free distribution or at nominal prices. It discourages the users. The programme of operating on men and women, who opt for permanent control of reproductive capacities is in shambles. The award money and other prizes to be given to those who accept the operations are misappropriated by the family planning personnel. The programme is far from popular due to lack of its publicity and lack of commitment of the family planning workers.
The government needs to get rid of corruption in the official population control programme and revamp the programme. It has to pay attention to its population control programmes to make it efficient and effective.