POPULATION EXPLOSION

The greatest enemy of man today is his own over-population. It is feared that the world population which is more than 5 billion today will be doubled in 2028.

Malthus, the great economist, observed that whereas the world population was increasing in geometrical proportion (1, 2, 4, 8, ...), the food supply was increasing in arithmetical proportion (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ...). So before long a stage would be reached when the population will outstrip the available food supply and there would be a great struggle for food and shelter. He predicted that unless mankind acted to check the growth of population voluntarily, natural factors like war, famine, epidemics and other disasters would intervene to check the population growth. It seems Malthus' prediction has come true for Africa and Asia, and especially India.

Population of India which was about 235 million in 1901 has risen to about 840 million by now and is estimated to cross 1 billion (1000 million) by the end of this century. Annual increase in India's population is almost equal to the total population of Australia.

The reason for this staggering increase in population is the high birth-rate and low death-rate especially in Asia and India. Poverty, ignorance, early marriages and religious beliefs are some of the causes of high birth-rate. Lowering of death-rate is due to improved health and hygiene and reduced occurrence of natural calamities like floods, famine and epidemics. Indeed blessings of science have been our bane.

Galloping population is eating up all our natural resources and a time will come when there will be scarcity of almost all things. There will be a scramble for food resulting in mass starvation. In his efforts to grow more food man will destroy forests and turn the fertile lands into deserts. Ecological imbalance resulting from the destruction of forests will spell man's doom.

Governments have been trying to check the population growth by means of various birth control measures and family planning programmes. But the measures to check population will not succeed until poverty is removed. But prosperity cannot be brought about if there is overpopulation. Thus there is a vicious circle in which poverty is perpetuated among the overpopulated and the overpopulation is perpetuated by poverty.

The only remedy is to flight the population problem on war footing by taking very harsh measures to check the growth pf population. Though these measures are bound to be unpopular in the beginning, people will welcome them when they enjoy the long-term benefits of controlled population. If man does not limit his population, he is doomed.