Rapid population growth adversely affecting economic development

ISLAMABAD—The higher growth rate of population has negative effects on the economic development and it required concerted approach to strike a balance between population increase and resources needed for sustainable development.
Pakistan’s population has increased from 34 million in 1951 to 153.45 million in 2005 that have negative impact on socio-economic condition ofthe society. The addition of over 119.45 million populations in morethan five decades is due to the high population growth rates in the last 54 years.
At existing population growth, 1.9 per annum the country’s populationwill reach 189.42 and 202.11 millions by the years 2020 and 2025respectively. The higher population coupled with poor human developmentindicators such as low literacy, high infant mortality and low economicgrowth rate. The country is faced with its ever-largest adolescent population,because of its high levels of fertility over the last few decades. The adolescent population, in the age group of 15-24, as it enters into itsreproductive phase embodies potential population growth for severaldecades. It constitutes population momentum in the future that has seriousimplications for provision of schooling, health services and other basicamenities of life for the coming decades.
Over one third of Pakistanis are living in poverty. The impact ofpopulation growth on poverty is obvious, since poorer families, especially women and marginalized groups bear the burden of a large number of children with much fewer resources further adding to the spiral of poverty and deterioration in the status of women.
This large part of the population is constrained to live in poor housing and sanitation conditions and lack of access to safe drinking water. In particular, income poverty leads to pressures on food consumption andadversely affects caloric intakes and increasing malnutrition in poorer families and contributes to high levels of child and maternal mortality. Furthermore, rapid population growth contributes to environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources.
There is 13.4 per cent of the population living below international poverty line having only $ 1 per day in Pakistan while people earns only $2 per day counts 65.6 per cent of the total population. Total 35.5 million population of the country are living below the poverty line. 56.9 per cent of population has no access to safe drinking water while 78.2 per cent has no sanitation facilities.
The drastic increase in population creates the problems of education, health services, housing unit, food, living space and clean water in the country. The higher growth of population has created the problems of unemployment, land fragmentation, import of food, environmental problems, congestion in households, over crowding, kathi abadies, poverty, unrest and increase in crime ratio across the country.
The population policy should be designed in such a manner to achieve social and economic revival by curbing rapid population growth and thereby reducing its adverse consequences on development. Awareness of the adverse consequences of rapid population growth both at the national, provincial, district and community levels should becreated. Teachers, lawyers, NGOs, social workers, Pesh Imams and every walk of life people should be involved in a drive to curb the highergrowth rate of population.—INP