The Population Explosion

Of all the problems of the world one that is of serious concern is the population explosion which is increasing beyond control. What will be the fate of human beings if this trend goes on relentlessly whereas the productive capacity of the planet earth is getting limited to feed them. The poor poverty-stricken people of the third world less-developed countries, too much poor and illiterate dying from hunger and diseases, are the ones mostly affected by over-population. They are deprived from basic necessities of life.

Growth
The world population in 1950 was barely 2.5 billion which has now tripled to 7.5 billion over the period of almost three decades. It may shoot up to billions more by the end of the twenty first century. The world would face a tremendous situation if corrective measures like family planning and such restrictive methods are not taken to balance the growing population.
The population of Nepal in 1950 was about ten million at the most which by now multiplied to thirty and half millions. The population of capital city Kathmandu was hardly one hundred thousand then. Now it is over-populated to almost two millions jam-packed to its narrow streets and corners. What we find in today’s Kathmandu is a crowded and congested city with traffic jams everywhere with choking air pollution. In 1950, the number of cars trotting in Kathmandu was limited to three or four including the red Mercedes Benz belonging to Prime Minister Mohan Shumsher JBR. Now, look at the countless vehicles incurring traffic jams. Once an open and green Kathmandu Valley is now laden with so many housing construction that has mired its beauty with fogginess making it difficult to negotiable the narrow street. In view of the situation it would it not be appropriate for the government to opt for another suitable site selection for nation’s capital.
Nepal once surplus in agricultural products is now dependent on its import from abroad to feed the teeming population. In view of acute joblessness at home the young Nepali men and women are destined to go abroad in oil rich Gulf countries, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Lebanon and elsewhere in search of employment who are mostly engaged in manual labours and house keeping in an atmosphere of hard and difficult environment sending back home parts of their hard earned money as remittances that sustain the economy of Nepal to a large extent. Some of these people are reported badly cheated by employment agencies both at home and abroad. What will happen to them, if they are compelled to return home where there is no immediate prospect for employment? As there is no guarantee for their permanence of jobs abroad, government at home should seek to channelise portions of their remittances in productive sectors from the point of view of their future welfare and well-being.
Bangladesh, next door neighbour, more or less the same size of Nepal in territory, is densely populated country having five times bigger population. It is also solely dependent on foreign countries for their foodstuffs. Many countries of the third world are in similar situations.
India, the largest country in South Asia, in terms of territory and demography, has a population of one hundred and twenty five crores where the rate of population growth is high. It is likely to surpass the population of China in near future. The combined populations of these two countries amount to two hundred and fifty five crores which is about one third of the world population. China in recent past adopted a ‘policy of one child in one family’ under its family planning measure now relaxed to two. It was regarded positive step to balance its population. The economy of China under its liberalised open door policy under four modernisation movements initiated by Late Deng Xiaoping made a great headway to make China as the World’s No. 2 economic power whereby its people enjoy comfortable life. This is not the case with regard to other third world countries where strict methods of family planning are needed most. To lift them up from their bizarre situation, the most seriously affected countries (MSACs) must go through stringent measures to reduce their population through proper literacy campaigns.
Evidently the population growth looks higher in the case of Islamic countries where the male individuals are legally authorised to keep up to five wives at a time. The educated Muslim families may not be liable to such practice but it largely prevails in backward and uneducated classes. Such situation rampant in Muslim world are repugnant to progress that foment uneasy situation. It is where the family planning international aid agencies and WHO should act to alleviate the growing untenable situation.
In cognizance of the negative effects of the population explosion, some nations have remained effortful to restrict it. Scandinavian and Benelux countries in Europe and some developed nations have been able to balance their populations with better life style. Japan and Nordic countries are the good examples of keeping their populations controlled to such an extent that some of them have experienced population decrease. In USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand population is increasing but they are not by the process of natural birth but by immigration from abroad in search of better job opportunities and better living prospects.

Migration
The migration trend to these developed nations from foreign countries are so great that in years to come they may overwhelm the native population. Some of these migrant people have established their own distinctive pockets as China towns, Indian Bazaars and Mexican enclaves habituated in their respective cultures and traditions. Apart from it people badly affected by terrorism and violence from hard-hit areas of Middle East, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere are forced to leave their homes to seek refuse to safe areas of Europe where they are allowed to stay as refugees on humanitarian ground. Balancing the world population has not only been a national issue but it has essentially become a global problem.

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