How The Growing Population is Making Pakistan’s Resources Unmanageable?

In Blog, Economic Security, Human Security
August 24, 2022
Rabia Sohail
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Population explosion triggers the need for more production and consumption and also becomes a major cause of the destruction of the natural habitat. To fulfil the needs of a growing population, trees are being cut down and soil fertility is also being adversely affected. This endangers the economic security of Pakistan and makes the management

Population explosion triggers the need for more production and consumption and also becomes a major cause of the destruction of the natural habitat. To fulfil the needs of a growing population, trees are being cut down and soil fertility is also being adversely affected. This endangers the economic security of Pakistan and makes the management of resources difficult for the government. More population means higher demand for electricity, gas, water, food, and oil. This impedes economic independence, development, and progress.

Consumption of fuel for transportation and other activities causes air, land, and water pollution. More population means more pollution and faster depletion of natural resources. For instance, hazardous carbon dioxide is released when fossil fuels are burned for power generation. This greenhouse gas traps heat in the atmosphere and contributes to climate change – a phenomenon that adversely affects weather patterns, water resources, and the ecosystem at large. So more deforestation means more global warming which means that there will be more natural disasters, such as flooding and droughts. Recently, on August 11, 2022 Advisor to Chief Minister on Information Omar Sarfaraz Cheema said the Punjab government was vigorously engaged in the relief and rehabilitation of the people who were affected by the floods. In this regard, PDMA has established 29 relief camps in Mianwali and DG Khan Division in which 994 people from 190 families have been provided shelter. Pakistan is a developing country and currently, it cannot afford to invest in flood relief operations as there are many more pressing concerns, such as health and education which need attention.

With the rapid population growth in Pakistan, access to clean water has become a challenge. When infrastructure fails to cope with population growth, water shortages and sanitation issues do occur. According to a World Bank report, nearly 1 billion people lack access to clean water and more than twice that many do not have toilets worldwide. Moreover, faecal contamination is a significant cause of disease; water-related sickness kills a child every 21 seconds. People living in impoverished, densely populated areas often spend more money to access clean water.

The exponential population growth rate in Pakistan is a major cause of the water crisis. At the time of independence, the population was low, and water availability was 5000 cubic meters. Today, it has been reduced to 1000 cubic meters due to overpopulation, making Pakistan a water-scarce country. According to stats, the population of Pakistan is projected to be 261 million by 2035. It won’t be easy to fulfil the needs of such a vast community. There will be pressure on agriculture for sufficient yield to fulfil the unprecedented demand. As a result, water scarcity will be more acute as per estimates. Shortage of water in the future means fewer yields of agricultural products, such as vegetables and fruits which means fewer exports. This may lead to a fall in the GDP.

Pakistan has a relatively lower capacity to store water due to a limited number of reservoirs. A large amount of water is wasted in the form of floods. Pakistan has a water storage capacity of 30 days. At the same time, India has a storage capacity of 320 days. Pakistan receives 145 million acre-feet of water every year. Out of which it can save only 13.7 million acre-feet. 29 million acre-feet of water are wasted in the form of floods due to the unavailability of dams.

Population growth was a concern as far back as 1798 when English economist Thomas Malthus predicted that it would eventually reduce overall living standards in 2050. In Pakistan, the population is projected to rise to 380 million by 2050. Looking around, it’s apparent that there’s only so much land to go around, and this also extends to the water we drink and the food we consume. Over time, this growth will eventually lead to starvation and thirst, he said, leading to his advice that mankind limit their procreation. This will lead to a greater negative impact on the country’s economic security. The main aim of the government should be to prevent starvation but then this will be difficult for the government as it will be facing a budget deficit and asking for more loans from international monetary institutions.

There are many countries from which Pakistan can learn how the growing population affects the economic security of the country. One example of the impact of population on economic growth can be seen in Detroit, where the local infrastructure suffered dramatically as people moved away. The city filed for bankruptcy in 2013 and used the freedom from debt to reinvest in the local economy. But today, government officials still work hard to boost the middle-class population in the area, while also dealing with struggling schools and neglected buildings.

Government officials who focus on growth may find that they suffer the consequences of poor planning. More valuable as an increasing population can be to businesses and residents, it can also bring problems like heavy traffic, and scarcity of resources, driving housing costs up and creating a higher demand for local services than can be supported. The government should educate the people all around the country through campaigns on how the growing population is affecting the country so that in the future there is a lesser burden on the national economic security.