POPULATION EXPLOSION v s SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT On 11 July 2010, people around the world will observe the 21st World Population Day. The main aim of this day is to increase people’s awareness on various issues related to population, such as the importance of family planning, gender equality, poverty, maternal health, and human rights. The latest addition to this is, of course, sustainable development. R Gupta analyses the dynamics of the ‘number game’ in relation to India’s sustainable development. n India, a mockery can be made of explosion. “If there is electricity in every India’s population has exploded since any situation; a classic example being village, then people will watch TV till late independence. The United Nations (UN) Ithat of population explosion and the night, and then fall asleep. They would has projected in its 2004 revision of ways to control it. Ghulam Nabi Azad, not get a chance to produce children,” the World Population Prospects that Union Minister of Health and Family Azad said. “When there is no electricity, India would surpass China’s population Welfare, recently announced his there is nothing else to do but produce by 2050. At present, the two countries intention to harness the ‘passion- babies,” he declared! together account for about 40% of the killing’ properties of late night In the wake of ‘such’ political will world’s total population. By 2050, India’s TV to help control population and decisions, it is no wonder that population will swell to 1.592 billion, while China’s will be contained at stresses also lead to the movement of For many poor families in India, a child is another mouth to feed, but provides two hands to work and 1.392 billion. poor families to towns (distress migration). bring money for the family. This is one of the key reasons for the unchecked rise of India’s population. While mega cities have emerged, urban WHAT WENT WRONG? slums are fast expanding. And this rapid Indeed, India is in the midst of a and unplanned expansion of cities has The consequences of this rapid population Management Institute (IWMI), which decades or so. In the foreword to the report, population explosion, despite being the resulted in the degradation of urban growth are starkly reflected in four estimates that aquifer depletion could Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman of the CII Green first country in the developing world to environment as well. It has widened the areas—poverty, changes in land use, reduce India’s grain harvest by one-fourth. Business Centre, said, “This report…shows initiate a state-sponsored family-planning gap between the demand and supply of environmental degradation, and over The prognosis continues with a warning that India is depleting its ecological assets programme in 1952. This initially led to a infrastructural services, such as energy, exploitation of natural resources. India’s of political anarchy, “Falling water tables in support of its current economic boom decline in the fertility rates from six births housing, transport, communication, massive population base (of which ample will likely lead to rising grain prices on a and the growth of its population.” per woman of child-bearing age to 3.5, but education, water supply, sewerage, and numbers live below the poverty line), scale that could destabilize not only grain The report has some other interesting the victory was short-lived. recreational amenities, thus initiating an unsustainable agricultural, with relatively markets, but possibly the government observations to make. While the overall The efforts to encourage family expeditious depletion of the precious small scope for further expansion of itself.” The scientists further intone, ecological footprint (EF) of the country is planning among the poor sections of the environmental resource base of the cities. agricultural land, and flawed industrial “The principal threat now may not be very high, the per capita footprint is still society suffered a setback in the 1970s, The impact can be seen in the form of practices make the relationship between military aggression from without but extremely low, ranking 125th amongst when the government sponsored a mass the deterioration in air and water quality, population pressure and environmental population growth from within.” 152 countries. Clearly, this is because sterilization campaign, in which illiterate dwindling groundwater resources, degradation extremely strong. This doomsday prediction may the high population lowers the average. people were duped or paid to have mounting heaps of wastes, proliferation According to Lester Brown and come true as India is already living well But what is surprising is that the per vasectomies (permanent birth control for of slums, and so on. These, in turn, Brian Halweil, scientists at the United beyond its means. According to a report capita EF has actually fallen over the last males) or salpingectomy (removal of the contribute to urban poverty. States-based Worldwatch Institute, India’s Ecological Footprint: a business half-century. The report ascribes this to not fallopian tubes in females). Furthermore, Increase in urban population, and “overpopulation” is the major causative perspective of the Global Footprint only the rapid rise in population, but also the emphasis of the government’s family the consequent densely inhabited areas, factor of food scarcity and environmental Network (GFN) and the Confederation of to the reality that “while the standard of planning policy has recently changed has also lead to poor sanitation. Another degradation. They outline a gloomy Indian Industry (CII), India has the world’s living has improved for some, the majority towards educating women, rather than problem is malnutrition, which sometimes picture for India, “Well before hitting third largest ecological footprint, after are making due (sic) with less.” promoting the use of birth control goes hand-in-hand with the increase the one billion mark, the demands of the United States and China. Indians use Other than EF, the study also looks at measures, such as the use of condoms. in population, making humans more India’s population were outrunning its almost double the natural resources India’s water footprint (WF), or the water This is a slow and difficult process, susceptible to diseases and ailments. natural resource base. This can be seen within the country than it can sustain. The usage that is involved not only in direct especially in the rural areas where men Now, take this—according to the UN, over in its shrinking forests, deteriorating report further states that the capacity of consumption for drinking, irrigation, have a greater say in these matters than 55% of Indians will live in urban areas rangelands, and falling water tables.” nature to sustain Indians has declined and industries, but also in the making of the women. The result of all this is a by 2050! They quote the International Water sharply – by almost half – in the last few products that Indians consume (including never-ending population problem. imports). It appears that India has the THE CONSEQUENCES highest WF in the world, accounting for THE VICIOUS CIRCLE Growing at a rate of more than 1.6% a 13% of total global usage, given that we Inefficiencies in the Indian system exist year, India’s population accounts for about have 17% of the world’s population. Again, because most Indians are uneducated, 17% of the world’s people, while the however, the average WF per capita is and lack access to innovations, due to country occupies less than 3% of the land God! This so-called lower than that of many other countries. key reasons for the unchecked rise of population explosion The report points to the inefficiency of abject poverty and red-tapism. Indeed, area worldwide. Hence, it is no wonder that has left just no room poverty is one of the main reasons why India’s population. sustainable development is proving to to walk!!! Well, at least the water use in agriculture, and the fear of India has a mammoth environmental The circular link between poverty and be a Herculean task for the country. environmentalists have stopped serious crisis if India tries to significantly complaining about rising footprint. Poverty breeds big families and environment is an extremely complex According to the UN, the future vehicular pollution! expand crop production without reducing consequently, environmental degradation. phenomenon. Poverty and inequality generations of India may have to face the inefficiency. Asha Rane was a professor at the foster unsustainability because the poor, widespread shortages of food and water One can broadly divide the main Mumbai-based Tata Institute for Social who rely on natural resources more than if the country’s demographic growth does upshots of population explosion in India Sciences and now runs the Hamara Club, the rich, deplete natural resources faster, not slow down. Almost every measure under the following heads. a project, which helps children living on as they have no access to other types of of progress that India has made since the streets of Mumbai. In her day to day resources. The degraded environment, independence has been checked by its Agriculture work life, she comes across many families in turn, accelerates the process of growing population—food production has Most of the rural population in India is who believe in the “one mouth, two hands” impoverishment, as the poor depend trebled but many people remain hungry; engaged in agriculture, and hence, it is theory. For many poor families in India, directly on the natural assets. literacy has increased but so has the no surprise that the population explosion a child is another mouth to feed, but total number of illiterate people. In other has affected land and water resources the provides two hands to work and bring URBAN TRAGEDY words, the country is far from achieving most.