Population of a region means the number of people living in that region, in which they share their basic needs like land, water and other resources. The whole of the world has 71% water while only the rest has the conditions to sustain life, meaning here by we have a very little of land to live on. In the same way, we have other resources for our use. Resources are very limited while the population is growing rapidly. The world population has almost doubled in 40 years from 3 billion in 1961 to 6 billion in 2001. The situation is greatly alarming. At the time of independence, India's population was not more than 40 crores. In a span of 57 years, we have multiplied manifold. The present number is very grim and critical.
India, a developing country has one of the largest reservoirs of natural resources but is still lagging behind due to which it is being predicted that in the near future it will overtake China's population if this growth is not regulated. . Over population is the root cause of almost all global issues challenging the world, be it poverty and hunger or environmental degradation.
Increase in population puts pressure on finite resources s and their utilization. As major section of people depends upon agriculture, it leads to under-utilization of human resources. God has provided us with much of natural resources. But we are not in a position to enjoy it, due to the large population. Hence man has axed his own leg by his own fault and we can see the truth of Milton's live :
"What man has made of man"
Man is the master of his own fate. Thus it is clear that he is not taking his life to proper direction.
The development of a country means the general improvement in the standard of living reflected in many ways like availability of health facilities, safe drinking water and sufficient amount of food. This leads to decline in death rate. When population increases, it has to be provided with a corresponding increase in basic amenities such as food,
clothing, housing, hospitals, educational institutions, drinking water. Naturally a rise in population may lead to difficulties for the government to provide facilities for all. It also raises the demand of goods and services and more employment opportunities.
The increasing mass also reduces per capita, availability of resources, etc. Other basic amenities like education, health and employment also come under pressure. It also promotes urbanization, which results in congestion and environmental pollution.
On the whole it can be concluded that increase in population is a great hazard in our development. It is very much clear as we see the scenario of our own country. We should check the growing population by balancing the birth rate with the death rate. If the death rate has decreased in the past few decades, we should also decrease the birth rate by application of modern sciences and other ways. The result of the negligence is before us, India still lags behind many of the countries of the world. We must not forget our future happiness and welfare will depend on our way, speed and attention towards the control of rapid population growth. It is a problem of great concern. Every country, developed or developing, must limit its population if it is not to perish.
