Effects of Rapid Population Growth

Effects of Rapid Population Growth

Rapid growth of population has become a worldwide problem . The annual population growth rate of Nepal was 2.25% per annum according to 2058 BS census report. It has been reduced to 1.35% per annum according to the 2068 BS  census. Higher population growth rate directly affects the social and economic aspects of the country. 

Rapid population growth generally refers to the condition when Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and population growth rate (PGR) exceed 2.1 per annum respectively. Growth rates below these values are regarded as normal natural phenomena. 

The population growth rate and available services and facilities must be maintained in a balanced way. A growing population consumes the available services and facilities. IF the means and resources are enough, population growth will not adversely affect the different aspects of the environment. It means that population size should be managed according to the available means and resources. If the means and resources are properly mobilized, the provision of adequate services and facilities is possible. Population growth has adverse effects on environment, social and economic aspects. These effects are described below: 

1. SOCIO-ECONOMIC EFFECTS 

a) Health 

Sound health brings prosperity and happiness in our life. Health is the wealth of life. Only healthy people can work for the socio-economic development of the country. When the population increases at a higher rate, it directly affects the health sector. Due to the rapid growth of population, the health services are not adequate in Nepal. It is estimated that only 20 percent of Nepalese people have a basic level of access to health services and facilities. Many people are dying untimely due to lack of health services at remote and rural areas. 

b) Education 

Education is one of the most important factors for the socio-economic development of the country. "Education is the first step of career development." People acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes through education. Education makes people skills and qualified. That's why, quality and effective education is necessary to make the people efficient in their respective professions. But rapid population growth directly affects the educational sectors. The needs for the educational sectors increase and the supply of essential educational materials, physical facilities, etc. will be inadequate for the increased population. 

According to the census report of 2068 BS, the literate population of six years and above is only 60.9 percent. These data indicate that the educational facilities for people are still inadequate in spite of the great efforts of the government to provide education in Nepal. 

c) Culture 

Culture is one of the most important means of introducing one's country in the international arena. Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multicultural, multilingual and multi-religious country. There are different customs, religions, arts, cultures, languages as well as gumbas, monuments, temples, vihars, chaityas, etc. These are our cultural and religious property. UNESCO has listed such heritages in the world religious and cultural heritage. Due to the rapid population growth as well as modernization, our important religious and cultural heritages are being destroyed day by day. On the other hand, such spots and construction sites as well as for other various purposes. They are also polluting these heritages. 

It is very urgent to protect and repair them for their promotion and development by controlling the increased population pressure. Such cultures and heritages will disappear and collapse unless we adopt measures of protection and conservation. The best ways of protection and conservation are to control the growing population and manage it in time. 

d) Employment 

People have unlimited needs and demands. They need continuous labor to earn and to fulfill such needs and demands. Employment is the most important factor to earn a livelihood. But employment is very scarce nowadays due to the rapid growth of population. Increased unemployment creates not only economic problems but also increases social evils, political instability, psychological evils, etc. 

People in the age group 15-59 years are regarded as active population. They need employment. According to 2011 census report, there is 47.1% active population in Nepal. All of them are not employed due to lack of employment opportunities in Nepal. Unemployment problem is rapidly increasing in our country with the rapid increase in population. The development of employment sectors mainly depends on the means and resources available in a country. On the one hand, the growing population highly consumes these resources; and on the other hand, the resources are inadequate for the people. As a result, people become jobless, resources are overused and brain-drain increases. 

e) Supply of drinking water 

Water is the biggest constituent of the human body. It contains about 65% of water. Water is one of the basic needs of human beings. The growing population adversely affects the water resources. Nepal is very rich in water resources. Nepal is the second richest country in the world and the richest country in Asia in water resources. The major resources of the water are the river, well, ocean, pond, waterfalls, etc. which are drying up day by day with the increasing population. Forests help land to absorb rain water. But forest resources are being cleared and enroached to expand settlements and agricultural activities by growing population. 

Supply of drinking water is decreasing day by day. The balance between population growth and water resources has not been managed well. So, the following effects are observed in our community:

1. Lack of drinking water
2. Increasing water pollution 
3. Increasing desertification in the surrounding 
4. Drying up of water resources 
5. Depleting aquatic creatures and vegetation 

If the population is not controlled in time, there will certainly be severe water problem in the future. 

f) Food 

Food provides the fuel for our body. It is the basic need of human life to run different functions of body. Food grains provide us the necessary nutrients. So, we must supply adequate quantity of food grains every day in appropriate amounts. But the rapid growth of population has created problems in supply of adequate food for people. As a result, starvation is one of the severe problems in the world. 

Nutritious food is necessary to remain healthy. Otherwise our immunity power will decrease. Fertile land on the earth's surface is limited whereas the consumer of food i.e. the human population is increasing rapidly.

The rapid growth of population slowly occupies forest land, causing destruction of forests. Therefore, the rapid population growth should be controlled. 

g) Housing 

Housing is another basic need of human beings. Our survival becomes difficult without getting proper shelter. Rapid population growth puts strong pressure to increase housing. Housing problem is rapidly increasing nowadays due to rapid population growth. Such problems are severe in the urban areas. 

According to the census report of 2068 BS, the total population of urban areas and rural areas in Nepal are 17% and 83% respectively. Housing problems also exist in the rural areas. It is very difficult to manage land for housing due to high population pressure. Rapid population growth is the root cause of problems related to unmanaged settlements. Unmanaged settlement are very high in the urban areas due to lack of proper planning. 

The effects of rapid population growth on housing are as follows: 

1. The growing population makes the settlement area very congested, and different kinds of health problems are created. 
2. In highly populated areas, crowds, social crimes, waste materials, etc. increase. As a result, community health problems and social disorders are created. 
3. Agricultural production decreases and desertification increases.
4. The trend of clearing forest area is increased for settlement. 

Therefore, housing is a big problem in world because of rapid population growth. So, the population growth should be properly controlled. 

h) Clothing 

We need clothes to cover our body according to the season and climate. People in a cold climate need to wear thick and woolen cloths whereas people in hot climate wear thin and cotton clothes. Clothing materials must be increased according to the number of people. Textile and ready-made garment industries are the main source of clothes. But there is inadequate production of cloth in our country. There are limited number of such industries. The supply of cloth is less than the demand of the population in Nepal especially in the rural and hilly areas. The effects of rapid population growth on clothing are as follows: 

1. It is difficult to manage clothes according to season. 
2. The price of clothes is very high due to the high demand and low supply. 
3. Standard of clothes is decreasing day by day. 
4. A lot of foreign exchange goes into the import of foreign clothes. 

i) Security and entertainment 

Security and entertainment are the basic needs of human being to lead a happy and a peaceful life. When the population increases beyond limit, people cannot get security and proper entertainment. Different kinds of social crimes like theft, robbery, quarrels, gang fight, etc. take place in the society. Consequently, peace, security, pleasure, etc. are lost. The major entertainment sectors are trekking, games, sports, parks, picnic spots, etc. Such sectors will be overcrowded and polluted due to the rapid growth of population. 

In the next article, we will be discussing environmental effects of rapid population growth.