The increasing population is a matter of grave concern
KARACHI: The increasing population in Third World countries is a serious problem. The countries most at risk of this population boom lack proper governance as they have failed to enact proper policies and laws related to it.
In addition to this, even though the populace is aware of the grave consequences of a growing population, it still does not practise family planning. Population control has now become a topic of political debate due to the impact it is bound to have.
The UN recently published a report which predicted the current global population of 7.7 billion increasing to to 9.7 billion by 2050. The countries that will be most affected by this boom are India, Nigeria, Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Egypt and Pakistan (which will become the 5th most populated country with approximately 403 million inhabitants).
The reasons behind this rise in population in Pakistan are illiteracy, early marriages, desire for a male child, polygamy and lack of government policies for population planning. Most illiterate families are unaware of the impact of the rapidly increasing population and do not consider it as a problem.
Moreover, early marriages are a norm in most rural areas resulting in a high birth rate. Similarly, a male child is considered a matter of pride for the family and subsequently results in more births until a male child is born.
The impact of overpopulation is severe on our country. This includes low economic growth, increased unemployment, and other social evils. Pakistan’s economy is already strained due to debt, and now the increasing population is a matter of grave concern.
Asif Murad Umrani
Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2019.
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