12. Population Explosion

POPULATION EXPLOSION Over population is a serious problem confronted by Pakistan since long and despite hectic efforts by the government, we could not achieve remarkable success to control our population. Np doubt increase in population adds to our manpower. People are not only produces but also consumers. Besides labour provided in the shape of population, capital and organization are also necessary factors of production. A few years back when modern technology was not introduced it was assumed that when more land and capital resources are available there is need of manpower. In modern age most of the manual work has been replaced by machines. Machine is an instrument that can do more work than we can do with our hands. So the functions of man in various sectors have been reduced to a certain extent. Now-a-days it is not wise to increase population in order to provide more workers. In case of 393 The Study of Education large population large, quantity of goods will be needed to feed, cloth and survive. If our population growth is higher than our production rate we will suffer on each and every front. There will be no education no health no entertainment, no employment and so no prosperity. It is therefore, required to keep a good proportion between our resources and population growth. Unfortunately, Pakistan's population is increasing with a galloping rate. It was estimated at around 124 million in 1994. The density per kilometre was 156 persons. According to 1981 population censes it was 84 millions and the present population of the country according to official sources is above 150 millions with a growth rate of 2 per annum. In the first half of previous century our population nearly doubled. It was 16.6 million in 1901 and 32.5 million in 1947. In the following fifty years it is however estimated to be five times as large as at the time of independence in 1947. Our growth rate has no reduced to 2 percent while it was 3.2 percent in 1993. Morphologically, due to control of disease like malaria, small pox, cholera, tuberculoses and improved living condition, considerable fall in the crude death rate have occurred. Similarly the crude birth rate has also declined to a certain level. The population momentum exerts high pressure on economy and particularly its social sectors. It compels the government to allocate more funds for providing items of daily consumption. In this way our import bill goes higher than our exports bill causing heavy budget deficit. It is not only a burden on our exchange but hampers the socio economic development of the country. There are many causes of over population. Let us analyse them one by one. Young age marriages is the first cause of increase in population. It is a custom in most of our areas that people get married their children in a very young age. Secondly people do not care to keep gap bet\veen the births of394

The Study of Education children. They are unaware of the family planning methods. Effective awareness campaigns have not been launched to motivate people in this regard. Unemployment and meager entertainment facilities have also contributed to increase in population. More over in many localities people think it a religious obligation to create children. All these factors lead to overpopulation, which in turn leave us illiterate, physically weak and economically poof and backward. The impact of overpopulation in health sectors is really formidable. Our limited resources do not allow us to provide the same facilities as BHUs, RHCs, Maternity or health care centres and hospitals in the same ratio as our population demands. Although the government tried her level best to improve the health services in the country yet widespread but unavoidable communicable diseases malnutrition among children and women reproductive ages, inadequate arrangement of waste disposal and access to portable water still persists in the country. About one third of deaths occur due to infectious diseases. High fertility badly affects the health of infants, children and mother as well. In our orthodox and illiterate rural society women are not treated fairly. In most of the families even the birth of a female child is considered a bad omen. They are treated as inferior being. Parents do not bother to give them proper education. The female literacy rate in most of the rural areas is quite negligible while the fact is that education brings out socio economic changes in the country. An educated mother means an enlightened home. Educated people do not find it difficult to adjust and adopt the changes taking place around them. It also enables us to accept innovative ideas. Further more, it changes the attitude and behaviour of the people. The non-significant response of our people to the family planning programme of the government is just because of the lack of education 395 The Study of Education and awareness. In this context it can be said that population growth rate is inversely proportional to literacy rate. The growing population also exerts a high pressure on the existing housing stock in the country. Housing density has increased many folds than it was in 1947. It was 5.5 percent housing unit in 1960, 6.7 in 1980 and 7 in 1987. More than half of the housing units in Pakistan comprise only one room with 6 persons living per room. The toilet bath and the facility of access to potable water is available only to 13 percent in terms of structure and facilities such as water, waste disposal, sanitation and electricity are deplorable in the rural areas. Most of the people live in mudded houses and slums. They are totally deprived of the basic life amenities.

Doctors are of the opinion that poor quality of food is the cause of severe mal-nutrition among children, pregnant and lactating mothers, resulting in high prevalence of deficiency diseases such as anaemia. Comprising the population growth with the food production in the country in the past few years, the population has almost doubled while the food crop increased only by 29 percent. If the population kept on increasing with such a high rate we will have to import a large quantity of wheat, rice and other eatable items to meet the food requirements of our people. Agriculture provides the loins' share of* our economy. Despite the fact that the cultivable area in the country has enormously increased, yet due to multiplication of population the cultivable land per person has declined. In Pakistan the yield of major agricultural crops such as wheat, rice sugar cane, tobacco and cotton is much more less than the production of those crops in Srilanka, India and Egypt. The low yield per acre together with increased deforestation water logging, salinity, scarcity of water, lack of scientific knowledge and agricultural management problems continues to be major obstacles to future growth in this sector. 396 The Study of Education Pakistan is a country with a strong potential for growth and development. The current high rate of population growth ranks as one of the biggest constraints and limitation on the development. However through the concerted and well-planned efforts, with active participation of the community, improvement in the living conditions of the masses can be achieved. There should be improvement in socio-economic conditions through education, health and housing. A reduction in infant and child mortality as well as innovation and transformation in agrarian sector and rural development particularly electrification of village must be realized. Efforts should be made to exploit the available resources in order to meet the basic requirements of our people. Attainment of these goals will lead the country to be known as a modern welfare state. It is only then that any significance change in the growth rate of population will occur. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION It is the first and foremost responsibilities of man to protect and preserve the planet upon which he lives. Unfortunately his irresponsible activities have polluted it so much that today no piece of land offers fresh air to breath. National wealth is carelessly spent to buy nominal and temporary luxuries. Perhaps they forget that these luxuries and piles of arms and ammunition are pushing them towards destruction and degradation. In a state of utter intoxication man is turning this flowery land into a thorny wasteland. The coming generation will be confronting a threat of extinction. These forests, meadows and beautiful scenes will be a matter of the past. Environmental pollution has gained such a magnitude that each country of the world has to identity sources and areas of environmental pollution and find out way and means for the protection and preservation of