The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE present population of Bangladesh is estimated to be about 150 million. However, even if the official version of the annual population growth rate at 1.48 per cent is accepted, the population could be an enormous one at about 275 million only about half a century from now. But land space and natural resources would not be growing as fast. How then to take care of such a vast population in about only 55,000 square miles of territory with its limited resources? This is indeed, posing a very serious question.

Bangladesh is already the world's seventh biggest country in population size. Other countries with big population such as USA or Brazil have almost continent size territories and huge natural resources to take care of their population. For instance, the population of the USA is some 294 million. Bangladesh has roughly the half of the population of the USA. But, in contrast, the country has about only one-fiftieth of USA's land space. Bangladesh is too overpopulated by any definition. Already, the existing size of the population and its growth have created crisis-like situations in sectors of housing, employment and health.

The crises are going to be deeper in the near future and could shatter whatever socio-political and economic stability the country has at present. Clearly, the population issue is building up into a worst case scenario. The official population control programme is expected to be the main instrument for limiting births. But this programme, at present, is shabbily operated. It needs to be made much more efficient in terms of service delivery. It should be invigorated to render much more devoted services in different areas of population control and for this sloth and incompetence, now noted in the running of this programme, should be urgently done away with.