Question

What are the drawbacks connected to an ever-increasing population?

Answer 1

Geometric growth in population has pushed our country into population explosion leading to number of serious consequences. Some of them are:

• Decreased availability of food and clothing.

• Decreased per capita food availability despite phenomenal increase in their production.

• Decreased per capita GMP and reduced standard of living due to ever increasing population.

• Increased pressure on resources like land, water, natural forests, animals etc. leading to many far reaching effects like:

a) Fragmentation of land below the economic level.

b) Acute shortage of drinking and irrigation water.

c) Denudation of forest (Deforestation) to increase the area under agriculture.

d) Pollution of water, land, food materials etc.

• Urbanistaion beyond a healthy developmental limit as more rural people shift to towns / cities in search of better work / earning. Urbanization has led to may problems such as

a) Increased housing problems in cities / towns.

b) Very high vehicular movement in cities / towns leading to accidents, pollution, etc.

c) Serious problem connected to vast urban waste generation and its disposal.

d) Serious drinking water shortages.

e) Unending demands for civic amenities like roads, transport, markets, etc.

• Unemployment problems of serious dimension both in urban and rural areas leading to reduced per capita earning, poverty, etc.

• Hunger deaths - because of reduced per capita food availability and poor distribution of food.

• Acute shortage of medical facilities including qualified doctors, medicines, dispensaries, modern health care facilities etc - due to high population.

• Shortage of education facilities including schools, colleges, qualified teachers.

• Serious shortage of power and problems connected with its distribution.

• Increased inflation.

• Increased borrowings from international organisations.

• Reduced care of young ones leading to increased child health problems as well as vulnerability of children to many diseases.

• Reduced health care to mothers.

• Difficulties encountered in implementation of all national and state developmental programmes.

• Increased government expenditure.

• Increased density of population.