Table of Contents
- Overpopulation in Pakistan
- Causes of Overpopulation
- Allah is Raziq
- Low per Capita Income
- Increase in Birth Rate
- Religious Constraints
- High Growth Rate
- Need for More Earning Hands
- Illiteracy
- Absence of Family Planning
- Urbanziation
- Afghan Refugees
- Effects of Overpopulation in Pakistan
- Pollution
- Unemployment
- Increase in Crime Rate
- Depletion of Natural Resources
- Degradation of our Environment
- Increasing Spread of Diseases
- Poverty
- Shortage of Food
- Water Ahortage due to Overpopulation
- Solutions for Overpopulation
- Conclusion
Overpopulation is a condition in which the number of existing human population exceeds the carrying capacity of earth. It is an undesirable condition. Overpopulated countries face many problems. There are various factors that become the cause of overpopulation in a country. Reduced mortality rate, better medical facilities, depletion of precious resources are few of the causes which results in overpopulation. It is possible for a sparsely populated area to become densely populated if it is not able to sustain life.
Overpopulation in Pakistan
Pakistan is listed in the 10 most populated countries in the world with a large population of young adults and children. In the year 1950, the population of Pakistan was 33 million and the rank of Pakistan was 14th in the world. But today, there is an immense increase in its population. Its population is about 210 million and its rank is 6th in the world. According to the latest UN reports, the population of Pakistan will turn to 300 million in the year 2050. This increase in population is causing problems for the people of Pakistan.
Causes of Overpopulation
There are many factors which become the cause of overpopulation in Pakistan. Some of them are listed below:
Allah is Raziq
Most of the Muslims have a very strong belief is that Allah gives food to everyone. He provides food to even an ant living in a stone. So they think that Allah will give food to every member of their family so they don’t reduce the size of their families.
Low per Capita Income
If we divide national income on total population, we get per capita income. Low per capita income shows population explosion. Per capita income in Pakistan is $1254.
Increase in Birth Rate
In Pakistan, birth rate is high as compared to death rate which is causing increase in population.
Religious Constraints
In Pakistan, population is increasing due to religious constraints. Many imams prohibit family planning and use of contraceptives which is the reason behind the increase of overpopulation.
High Growth Rate
High growth rate of a country shows overpopulation. Growth rate of population in Pakistan is 2.1%. It is one of the causes of overpopulation in Pakistan.
Need for More Earning Hands
In a developing country like Pakistan, a single person cannot earn enough money to support his whole family. People think that if they will have more children than they will have more earning hands. As a result, it causes overpopulation.
Illiteracy
Illiteracy is one of the factors that become the cause of overpopulation. Literacy rate is 57.7% in Pakistan. Due to lack of education, most people do not understand that a high birth rate will increase their economic problems.
Absence of Family Planning
Most of the people are not aware of the term family planning. People are not familiar with the methods of family planning. They also feel hesitant to consult a doctor. So it causes overpopulation.
Urbanziation
Urbanization is also one of the contributing factors towards overpopulation in Pakistan. Due to less job facilities in the rural areas, a large number of people migrate towards cities every year.
This causes an increase in the urban population and the cities which have more job facilities become overpopulated.
Afghan Refugees
An arrival of Afghan refugees from India and Afghanistan is also causing overpopulation in Pakistan.
Effects of Overpopulation in Pakistan
Population is increasing day by day in Pakistan and it is causing drastic effects. Some of the effects of overpopulation in Pakistan are described below:
Pollution
With the increase of population, the pollution is also increasing in Pakistan. As the population increases, the number of vehicles on the road also increases. These vehicles release harmful chemicals in the environment that mix with the air and become the source of pollution. With the increase of population, the household waste also increases. These waste products are released in the water bodies and are also thrown on the roads without any check and balance. This becomes the cause of land and water pollution which is very injurious for human health. The graph below shows the rate of water pollution in different cities of Pakistan and this pollution is caused by overpopulation.
Unemployment
When a country becomes overpopulated, the rate of unemployment increases in that country. Pakistan is an overpopulated country so that’s why most of its people are unemployed because. Government cannot provide enough jobs to a large number of people in various sectors. That’s why we can say that overpopulation and unemployment are closely linked.
Increase in Crime Rate
As discussed above, unemployment increases because of overpopulation. Rise in unemployment will give rise to crime as people will steal in order to gain their food and in order to gain money.
Dr Fateh Muhammad Burfat in a seminar stated that: “An increase in population generates a scarcity of resources which in turn gives rise to unequal distribution of the resources which engenders intolerance among the deprived classes, finally culminating in a surge in crimes.”
Depletion of Natural Resources
Due to overpopulation, the consumption of natural resources becomes more as compared to their production. The natural resources become depleted because the earth can produce only the limited amount of water and food. So, Pakistan is also facing depletion of its resources because of overpopulation.
Degradation of our Environment
With the increase of population, the environmental degradation also increases. Wood is needed by the people to make huts, to make furniture and wood is needed in the making of many other goods. So as the number of people increases, the need for wood also increases, so it causes an increase in deforestation (cutting down of trees to obtain wood). Deforestation has led to many environmental hazards in Pakistan. It has decreased the amount of oxygen in the air and on the other hand, amount of carbon dioxide is increasing. It is causing global warming in Pakistan which is a serious environmental hazard. So, we can say that environmental hazards have also increased due to increase of population.
Increasing Spread of Diseases
Due to overpopulation, environmental hazards are also increased. These increasing hazards are causing spread of many diseases in Pakistan. Wastes are discharged in the landfills without any check and balance. Industries release their waste in the rivers and streams. It causes water and air pollution and it becomes the cause of spread of many diseases such as malaria, water borne diseases etc.
Poverty
Overpopulation has led to increase of poverty in Pakistan. A large number of people in our country do not have proper place to live. Due to this, number of beggars has also increased in our country because they do not have shelters to live and food to eat. Overpopulation is causing worst economic conditions due to which poverty increases. Population is increasing rapidly but many people are unemployed due to which they live in poor economic conditions and they face poverty.
Shortage of Food
Pakistan is an agricultural country but it is facing shortage of food due to overpopulation. Agriculture sector is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy but in the recent years, the performance of this sector has declined sharply. Food is a basic requirement of human being and without it people will unable to survive. In Pakistan, problem of food shortage is increases day by day. Different factors are involved in food shortage. The agriculture GDP growth rate in
Pakistan is significantly lower than the population growth rate. According to the recent reports, there are 48 countries in the world which suffer from food shortage and Pakistan is ranked 16th.
The main reason behind this is the increase in population due to which there is less food and more mouths to eat.
Water Ahortage due to Overpopulation
From the recent years, Pakistan is facing water problems. In Pakistan, the current availability of water is only 178 billion cubic meters which is estimated at 860 cubic meters per capita. This is an alarming condition for Pakistan and it is directly related to overpopulation. Because with the increase of population, the consumption of water increases more than the availability of water, so it is the cause of water crisis of Pakistan.
Solutions for Overpopulation
- In Pakistan, awareness should be provided about the family planning.
- People should be educated about the harmful impacts of overpopulation on the economy of the country.
- Gender discrimination is the also the reason of overpopulation in Pakistan. People desire to have more sons as compared to daughters. If we will eliminate gender discrimination, population can be controlled.
- Women empowerment can be a big step towards population control in Pakistan.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, we can say that population increase is one of the contemporary issues in Pakistan which is also responsible for the poor economic status of this country. Today, Pakistan is facing food shortage and water and energy crisis. Present age is the age of great revolutions but still in this age, many children die each year due to lack of food and water in agricultural country like Pakistan. In addition, some Pakistanis marry very early and are polygamous, a practice claimed to poorly affect the standard of living. The Pakistani education system is very poor and the government seems unwilling or unable to make effective changes. Moreover, poverty, inflation, illiteracy, social unrest, and criminality are the cases in point that are created by overpopulation. Therefore, the government of Pakistan needs to devote not only adequate time and attention to these issues but to implement real change and reform to solve the overpopulation crisis. If we want to make progress in certain fields, we should take steps to control population because it has reached to alarming levels in Pakistan.
References
- Slowing Pakistan’s Population Growth Critical for Building Prosperous Future – The World Bank
- Pakistan’s Overpopulation Challenge – The Express Tribune
- Allah is Raziq: Pakistani Population Growth and Religious Beliefs – Dawn
- Causes and Consequences of Unchecked Growth in Pakistan – The World Bank
- Causes of Population Growth in Pakistan – Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
- Pakistan Must Focus on Controlling Population Growth – Business Recorder
- Can Overpopulation be Really a Reason for Economic Woes in Pakistan? – Pakistan Today