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been replaced by machines.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

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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
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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

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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
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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