THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Population calamity’ (July 22). The population of the area that comprised West Pakistan at the time of partition was around 33 million. Now, according to a conservative forecast, the unbridled population will surge past 400 million by the time we cross the centennial celebrations. During this long journey of 77 years, we have not added, conquered or taken possession of any additional land area to bring it under cultivation for agricultural produce in order to attain food security. In fact, in many places the rich cultivable land has been encroached upon by the land mafia.

In plain words, while the land holding remains constant at 881,913 square kilometres, the population has increased by about 218 million already.

Similarly, the density of people at 308.01 per square kilometres in 2024 compared to 47.35 in 1950 is definitely disproportionate to the available resources.

The above is a fine example of the Malthusian theory regarding exponential population growth compared to arithmetic food supply growth. In Europe when the population was rising at a rapid rate, the food supply was also increasing simulta-neously due to technological developments, whereas this has never been the case with Pakistan. The recent import of wheat, to quote one instance, is before us all.

With so many to feed and resources being scarce, infant mortality, underweight babies, undernourished children, maln-

utrition and stunted growth are rife in 40 per cent of the newborns and infants in their formative years of life. Resultantly, the same deficiencies are reflected and carried over while growing up.

Ever since the 1960s, every government is apparently making efforts to contain the population growth, but all these efforts seem to have gone to waste.

Unfortunately, the growth rate has continued to hover around 2.5pc as per the latest digital census in 2023, whereas it is around 1pc to 1.1pc in the region.

The policymakers need to revisit the population planning programme, as well as the right to reproductive health while figuring out what went wrong in the past and what remedial steps should be taken to avoid the onslaught.

Khaled
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2024