GUEST COLUMN
Monday, 10 July 2023 | in Guest column
Dr BKS Sanjay
Overpopulation is creating a lot of problems not only for the humans but also for other animals and the environment. The current world population is estimated to be just over eight billion. India’s population is currently estimated to be 1.4 billion and is expected to be 1.5 billion by 2030 and two billion by 2050. India has 17 per cent of the global population in 2.4 per cent of the world’s land area.
Rapid growth of population results in the creation of personal stress, social, economic and boundary conflicts. The war between neighboring countries is not only for economic interest but also for increasing their land area. These conflicts further lead to migration of people who usually prefer to settle in cities and urban areas which are developed but are already congested and where the civil resources are under strain. Here, I would like to confine myself to the Indian problems. The population in India has already surpassed the population of China. China has not suffered as much in the past due to overpopulation and will not suffer as much as India in the future also because the area of the China is three times that of India. The sustainability of any population depends mainly on natural resources. Having more area, China also has more resources. Its land area is 9.6 million square kilometres compared to India’s 3.2 million square kilometres. In addition to that, India and China have two different political and administrative systems. China has a one party and almost a dictatorial system while India has a multi-party democratic system. In China, anything can be implemented easily as they did with one child policy for population control in 1980. The pace of population control in India is very slow because of diversity and democratic system. I think these are the reasons that India could not control the population even though the population control programme was implemented in India as early as 1952, nearly 70 years ago. If the programme was implemented honestly and at a fast pace with the help of citizens, things could have been very different from social, economical and political point of view.
In my opinion it is still not too late. I still think the sooner the better because about 65 per cent of Indian population is still aged below 35 years. The change in demography is going to be another challenge for the policymakers to deal with. I would suggest that a law should be enacted and strictly enforced to control the over growing population because voluntary approach of population control is not working among all regions and religions. In my opinion, the cause of overpopulation in our country is ignorance due to illiteracy and poverty which are interrelated hence the all policymakers should think about illiteracy before making any policy aimed at population control.
There is urgent need for population control otherwise the results would be disastrous not only for humans but also for other species. Many species have become extinct and many more are going to be extinct in the near future and somehow it will be attributed to overpopulation of the human species. The main cause of population explosion in India is increasing birth rate and decreasing mortality rate. Rapid population growth is depleting all resources whether natural or man-made. It is suggested that the general public should be given the message that if one is divided by more than one then quotient will be less than one which applies to all resources. The nation should follow two-baby norm per family, preferably one male and one female baby because if this is followed then there will be no future gender ratio problem. It will also fulfill the aim of this year’s World Population Day theme which is focusing on gender equality. Most couples can support a couple of babies comfortably. There will be no personal, social and economic suffering. In addition to that when these children get married then the girl from one house will go to another house and the other girl will move to the first house so there will not be any problem for need of expansion of parental home. I presume that irrespective of economic status in general, every parent must be having at least some kind of shelter. Only three bedrooms per family will be sufficient for almost every generation. Hence there will be no shelter problem for future generation for most families who wish to stay together. Similarly, if children don’t get their desirable work, till then, they can continue at least the parental vocation or profession with the parent’s tools and equipment for their survival. Therefore, I presume that there will be decreased stress on the younger generation or newly wed couples for arranging or procuring the tools and find a new shelter to carry on with their new lives. When the family will be limited, then their needs will be limited and can be easily fulfilled hence there will be no undue stress, competition or conflict. In fact, all three generations- grandparents, parents and children will have happy, healthy and comfortable life.
Overpopulation is the leading cause of malnutrition, starvation and famine especially in poor families of underdeveloped areas. It is also depleting the earth’s already strained natural resources. Media reports state that groundwater is depleting, air is being heavily polluted and food products are being adulterated which is affecting the general health of all citizens. Overpopulation is the leading cause of industrialisation resulting into pollution and exploitation of the natural resources. Pollution and global warming are resulting in natural disasters in the form of drought, flooding, glacier melting, deforestation, wildfires and rise of sea water level. The problems related to overpopulation are not confined to our country alone but affecting the whole world. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, five categories of human needs dictate an individual’s behaviour. At the bottom of the pyramid are the physiological needs and self actualisation is at the top. Maslow states that basic physiological needs must be addressed before humans move onto the next level of fulfilment.
I believe that human resource is the greatest resource on earth but due to non-fulfillment of their physiological and basic needs, the human resource is rather becoming a liability on the others. Though it is a herculean task for the Indian government to deal with issues related to overpopulation, all policymakers should look into them and act to make a law and enforce it strictly to control the population. If it is done, then it will be proved that whatever Indians say, they mean it. Indian scriptures- the Upanishads say that may all be happy, may no one suffer from illness, may all see goodness, may no one suffer sorrow.
(The author is a Padma Shri recipient orthopaedic surgeon. Views expressed are personal)
