The topic over population is a burning problem all over the world. The under-developed and Third World Countries, in general, are over-crowded. The standard of living of their people is very low. We often hear the nightmarish phrases like Population explosion, time bomb, population Boom, population scourge and deluge of Earth Dwellers.
There are constant cries and calls to grow more food, to increase production, to increase livestock, to create more war weapons, more machines, to add to the span of life; but what the world fears and condemns, is growing in population.
Procreation is law of nature. All living species multiply in course of time. The difference between birth-rate and deathrate determines the growth in population. Nothing succeeds like excess. Any living being including man, if allowed to reproduce without restraint, will soon inundate the whole world. Biologically populations are kept under check by positive checks, by limiting factors like food supply, diseases and war.
The main argument against the increase in population is the decrease or shortage of food. Everyone must get a minimum diet. According to the UNO report human beings are growing at the rate of 150 per minute or 80 million per year. If this growth is not checked, by the end of the century, each person will get one sq. yard to live on the globe. [the_ad id=”17141″]
In Pakistan, the rate is rather higher. It is 3% per year. In means, the population will double in twenty years. It poses a great danger to the economic development of the country. Overgrowth in population means fall in the standard of living of the people. It results in poverty, Poor health services and low percentage of education. The government cannot cope with these allied problems. Food supply is not growing at the desired rate in spite of planning.
The nation must feed 360000 new mouths per year. The overgrowth has also created the problem of unemployment. Poverty, lack of proper education facilities and unemployment, have resulted in an increase in crimes-murders, hold-ups, robberies and law and order Problem.
The increase has been caused not due to fertility or growth in the birth rate. The main cause of overgrowth is decreased in the death rate due to advances in medical and other related scien.ces. Better health and hygiene services are available to the people. In spite of family planning, the government has failed to control and to limit the growth.
The reasons are more people are religious minded or conservative. The rural population is ignorant about birth control methods. Early marriages and charm of support in old age, contribute to the idea of big families. Change in living style can solve the problem to a great extent. If we have the productivity of the Swiss, the consumption habits of the Chinese, and social discipline of the Japanese, we can support a bigger population.
