Slowing down the population growth rate
Sunday, 30 September 2007
Murad Reza
A great deal of publicity was given some years ago to the decreasing population growth rate in Bangladesh which is one of the most populous countries in the world and presently the country with the highest population density. Population growth that was well above 3.0 per cent annually in the seventies was seen to be declining to below 2.0 per cent in the last decade and this was considered to be a huge success. Success it was, no doubt, but not enough to counter the head-spinning prospect of the present population doubling by another 25 years from now.
The present population of the country is estimated to be around 136,000,000. However, as a consequence of the current annual growth rate of the population at 1.48 per cent, the population could be an enormous one at 272,000,000 people or double the present size only about half a century from now. But land space and natural resources respectively would not be growing or growing equally as fast. How then to take care of such a vast population in about only 55,000 square miles of territory with its limited resources ? This is indeed posing as a very big question.
So far, a balance could be maintained between the country's growing population and the production increases needed in various sectors to rear this population. But production capacities are likely to reach such a state some years from now when maintaining of this balance will become very difficult indeed.
Cleary then, hardly there is any room for being complacent over the population control drive. The population growth rate in Bangladesh will not be brought down to zero level like in the Scandinavian countries. There would be encountered strong social and cultural barriers to such initiatives. But it can be tried to effectively bring it well below one per cent in a decade from now if the same goal is earnestly pursued. This decrease in growth will mean a manageable population by the middle of the century. But population growth going down below one per cent will depend on extending contraceptive practices very extensively at the grassroots level among the poor and running the official population control activities with much greater efficiency and in a corruption-free manner.
Hard observers at field levels know it well that the official family planning programme is not running well. The door to door visitors of the family planning department to households are hardly seen these days doing their job. Although they are paid from the public purse to at least visit each home in the areas where they are posted to advise all potentially males and females with reproductive capacity, they turn up only casually and at long intervals. Contraceptives meant for free distribution or at nominal prices among users are actually found to be sold at market value that usually discourage the latter from buying them for use. There is a programme of operating on men and women who opt for the same for permanent control of reproductive capacities. Awards are to be provided for those who submit to the operations. But all such operational aspects of the natural family planning programmes are not being properly administerial or managed in part several years. Besides, lack of its publicity has also meant its not gaining in popularity. Therefore, the greatest need seems to be flushing very clean the various corruptions in the official population control programmes and revamping the same for effectiveness.
Not that the interim government is giving attention to different priorities in national life, it should make every effort for running efficiently the population control programmes, considering their vital importance for promoting the goals of sustainable development.
A great deal of publicity was given some years ago to the decreasing population growth rate in Bangladesh which is one of the most populous countries in the world and presently the country with the highest population density. Population growth that was well above 3.0 per cent annually in the seventies was seen to be declining to below 2.0 per cent in the last decade and this was considered to be a huge success. Success it was, no doubt, but not enough to counter the head-spinning prospect of the present population doubling by another 25 years from now.
The present population of the country is estimated to be around 136,000,000. However, as a consequence of the current annual growth rate of the population at 1.48 per cent, the population could be an enormous one at 272,000,000 people or double the present size only about half a century from now. But land space and natural resources respectively would not be growing or growing equally as fast. How then to take care of such a vast population in about only 55,000 square miles of territory with its limited resources ? This is indeed posing as a very big question.
So far, a balance could be maintained between the country's growing population and the production increases needed in various sectors to rear this population. But production capacities are likely to reach such a state some years from now when maintaining of this balance will become very difficult indeed.
Cleary then, hardly there is any room for being complacent over the population control drive. The population growth rate in Bangladesh will not be brought down to zero level like in the Scandinavian countries. There would be encountered strong social and cultural barriers to such initiatives. But it can be tried to effectively bring it well below one per cent in a decade from now if the same goal is earnestly pursued. This decrease in growth will mean a manageable population by the middle of the century. But population growth going down below one per cent will depend on extending contraceptive practices very extensively at the grassroots level among the poor and running the official population control activities with much greater efficiency and in a corruption-free manner.
Hard observers at field levels know it well that the official family planning programme is not running well. The door to door visitors of the family planning department to households are hardly seen these days doing their job. Although they are paid from the public purse to at least visit each home in the areas where they are posted to advise all potentially males and females with reproductive capacity, they turn up only casually and at long intervals. Contraceptives meant for free distribution or at nominal prices among users are actually found to be sold at market value that usually discourage the latter from buying them for use. There is a programme of operating on men and women who opt for the same for permanent control of reproductive capacities. Awards are to be provided for those who submit to the operations. But all such operational aspects of the natural family planning programmes are not being properly administerial or managed in part several years. Besides, lack of its publicity has also meant its not gaining in popularity. Therefore, the greatest need seems to be flushing very clean the various corruptions in the official population control programmes and revamping the same for effectiveness.
Not that the interim government is giving attention to different priorities in national life, it should make every effort for running efficiently the population control programmes, considering their vital importance for promoting the goals of sustainable development.