On Population: is it resources or constraints towards our socio-economic development

Causes of Resource Causes of Constraints

Course Title: Introduction to Economic Geography Course Title: BBA 131

Submitted onJune 20, 2010

Submitted toMr. Shah Md. Hamza Anwar Lecturer School of Business Metropolitan University, Sylhet

Submitted byMd.Bazlur Rahman Khan ID No: 073-116-020 BBA 13th Batch Department of Business Administration Metropolitan University, Sylhet

Even though it took a lot of research and considerate during the assignment, at first I would like to thanks almighty Allah for giving me patience to complete the work. Then I would like to thank my course teacher for lectures, given notes, and direction all the way through the phrase. I would not be able to get the ethical shore up and my class mates and friends who helped me in various traditions. I just did not gain knowledge of about Models of Organizational Behavior or conclusion assembly theories acquaintance about the concepts. I am appreciative to get sustain from my family, beneficiary students, friends and teachers who helped me in several customs to come to an end this assignment.

Introduction

Bangladesh population has drawn considerable attention of the social scientists, policy planners and international organizations as one of the most densely populated countries in the world. In global context, Bangladesh is now worlds eighth populous country having 148.5 million people with the highest population density in the world, but occupying only 3000th part of the worlds land space. Population density of more than 1100 people per sq. km. makes the expression 'overpopulated' inadequate. Annual per capita income of our people is around US $ 621. Such a huge concentration of population in small land space cannot but draw ones attention. About 2.3 million people are currently being added to its existing population; and such pace will continue in the next one decade and a half, even if Bangladesh achieves 2child family norm (i.e. TFR of 2.1 or NRR=1) in any time between 2015-2020. The annual growth rate of population is 1.7 percent, which has gradually declined in the recent years. The fertility rate, which is above 4 per woman, is high but is gradually declining. The sex ratio is 106: 100 male/female. About 43 percent people are below the age of 15, and as a result the dependency ratio among the people is also very high. The population structure is pyramidal where the under-aged groups (below 15 years) occupy about 43% of the total population, and the economically active population is only about 35% (45 million) of the total population. The average literacy rate is 37 percent, which is again lower in rural areas. In regional context, South Asian countries including Bangladesh comprise worlds one-fourth population and contribute 24% to its annual increase of 80 million people. Therefore, focus on population increase lies in south Asia in which Bangladesh portion appears to be most volatile because of high population density, poor land-man ratio, slow economic growth, massive unemployment, huge working age population relative to the size of job market etc.

Growth of Population in Bangladesh

The growth of population in Bangladesh was slow in the first half of the century, but after 1951 it grew very rapidly. Before 1951, the average annual growth rate remained below 1% except in 1931-1941. Further, during 194151, the total population of the country declined from 41.9 million to 41.2 million. This has happened, because of out-migration. But after 1951, the population of the country grew at a faster rate when average annual growth rate went up over 2%. In the seventies, the country experienced the highest growth of population, which was 2.5% annually. In the eighties and particularly in the nineties, the country experienced declining trends of population growth (2.35% and 2.17% respectively). And only in the recent years, the annual growth rate has come down below 2%. A study of the World Bank and BCAS on Bangladesh 2020- A Long-term Perspective reported that though the growth rate has declined slightly, but the country will have a population of about 170 million by the year 2020, even in the context of projected medium level decline of fertility. From about 75 million at the time of independence, the population of Bangladesh has more than doubled in 38 years. The current estimate of Bangladesh's population varies from 1.4 per cent to 1.8 per cent a year, depending on who is doing the assessment. Even if the growth rate is 1.75 per cent a year, the Bangladesh population would double in 40 years. At the growth rate of 1.4 per cent, it would double in 47 years.

Demographic Data Sheet

Indicator Total Population Population density (Per Sq. Km.) Population Growth Rate Crude Birth Rate (CBR) per 1000 live births Crude Death Rate (CDR) per 1000 live births Total Fertility Rate (TFR) Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) per 1000 live births Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) per 1000 live births Child Mortality Rate <5 per 1000 live births Number of Eligible Couples No. of Women in Reproductive age group (15-49 years) Average Age at First Marriage Female Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) Life Expectancy at Birth Male Female Male

Number / Rates / Rations 148.5 million Around 1100 persons. 1.4% 22.4 (BBS-2000) 8.2 (BBS-2000) 3.3 (BDHS 2000) 4.0 (BMMS-2001) 66.4 (BDHS-2000) 94 (BDHS-2000) 25.84 million (MIS 2000) 31.2 million (BBS-2000) 27.8 years (BBS-1999) 20.2 years (BBS-1999) 53.8 percent (BDS-2000) 61 years (BBS-1999) 61 years (BBS-1999) 61 years (BBS-1999)

Source:

Population as Resource
The population of Bangladesh is her fundamental resource. If the country is to develop fully this is the resource that will bring about the change. The

population of a country can thus be viewed as an input into productive activity: it is a resource that transmits other resources into wealth The economy of Bangladesh is largely a function of its human resources. In the aggregate, it is a major agricultural country and this would not be, but for the skill and effort of the farmers, nor would there be trade and manufacture and a money economy, if the possibilities of economic activity and not been developed in response to effective demand. The consumption demand of the population has outpaced their own capacity to produce. The high intensity of cultivation and the particular mix of labor intensive crops would not be possible without a much higher population density. In low technology agriculture, productivity per unit of land can increase with the use of increasing amounts of labor, till very high population densities are reached. Labor input is the most important element in low technology agriculture. It is generally true that great labor input results in greater exploitation of the land, which may be readily apparent in the economic productivity of the land. Low technology agriculture is labor intensive. Thus a high population density is not necessarily a burden on the economy. Lack of natural resources has not hampered nations from achieving a relatively high standard of living. The population is seen on an aggregate of consuming units, putting stress increasingly on the natural resource leading to environmental degradation. Physical resources have a potential, but by themselves cannot create wealth: it is human intervention that turns potential resources into real resources. Human beings are not always consumer, they are also producer. The quality and quantity of the population of a country have inevitable interaction with its natural resources. Any increase of population increases demands for consumption of material goods and services that enhance over-population of natural resources including land, water, fisher, forest etc. In Bangladesh, our population cannot get chance in a job sector. For this reason, they cannot fulfill their basic needs. If they get chance in a job sector, then GDP will increase. Then population is resource. The crucial factor, the catalyst one might say, is the human factor. Without development of these resources, socio-economic development of the country cannot be achieved.

Population as Constraints
The disadvantaged resource population equation in Bangladesh prompts us to conclude that sustainable development cannot be achieved without

targeted efforts. In the field of population. The hard fact of our life is that the population pressure has already created additional demand on the already scarce land, water and other non renewable resources thereby making it increasingly difficult to support the increasing number of human beings. Even with the assumption that there will be some improvement in program efficiency and therefore cost reduction. the total financial resources required supporting the expanded family planning program will increase the cost in future. The population problem arisen out of past population growth which was regarded once as number one national problem has lost its focus during the last one decade and a half owing to other overriding problems, such as, corruption and deteriorating law and order. Meanwhile, it has taken a new dimension that has to be recognized; and necessary civilized measures need to be taken to offset the ill -effects of phenomenal growth in human number. The location of Bangladesh makes the country vulnerable to many natural calamities like flood, cyclone and drought. Besides these are environmental problems in relation to degradation of land, water and forest in rural Bangladesh, which has bees intensified by the income of population. Studies reveal that in real terms the poverty in Bangladesh has gone up. Besides corruption, which benefited a few and slowed down economic growth, rapid population growth must have aggravated poverty by neutralizing the gains. The major problem to increase the population are1. Land Degradation 2. Water Problems of Scarcity and Abundance 3. Depletion of Open Water Fisheries 4. Forest and Bio Diversity 5. Energy Crisis 6. Health and Sanitation 7. Natural Hazards 8. Problem of Air and Water 9. Problem of Waste Disposal 10.Growing Slams 11.Impacts of Climate Change Over-population is a relative phenomena, a function of the level of economic activity. A large part of the population of any country does not ostensibly contribute to the economic products. Over-population can be blamed for starvation and malnutrition. We then go on to look at the possibilities for food production, and whether it is feasible to produce enough to feed the whole of the current and likely future world population.

Poverty is the most obvious issue and the most representative manifestation of all other problems. The persistently high level of poverty facing most of the worlds underdeveloped countries severely handicaps economic growth and development planning. Poverty is measured in terms of per capita income per capita GNP (Gross National Product) figures are often criticized as being a poor measure of poverty. Causes of Poverty- (a) Rapid Population Growth, (b) Agricultural development and Food Production, (c) Resource Distribution. There are two type of poverty-

1. Relative Poverty- Not every country/population has the same standard

of living and per capita income. Differences Country to Country Region to Region Person to Person

2. Absolute Poverty- Absolute Poverty refers to being unable to meet

minimum human needs (basic needs) such as adequate food, safe drinking water. Clothing health services, shelter education. Bangladesh is an underdevelopment country. The causes are Poverty (Low Income) Unemployment Malnutrition Poor Sanitation Inequality/Disparity Infant Mortality Maternal Mortality Illiteracy

At present levels of technology, Agriculture and related manufacturing and marketing activities cannot give gainful employment to all the people. As a result many leave for employment in the urban areas and of those who stay back, a very high proportion are under employed or overly unemployed. The economic Product is very low in our country because the productivity per person is low. Due to low average productivity, the level of economic activity is low. This means that there are people who are unemployed or underemployed because the economy does not generate sufficient remunerative employment.

The population growth rate among the educated in Bangladesh has significantly come down. But the rates of growth among the underprivileged, who constitute an overwhelming majority, double that among the educated,

continue to swell the nation's population. The poor customarily prefer more children to supplement their income and provide old age support. They get married early, produce more children, educate or support them to grow up. The irony is that the children born in such environment repeat what their parents did. The obvious upshot is over population. So, the low population growth among the educated is neutralized by the increase among the underprivileged. The population growth, unless checked, is bound to imperil Bangladesh.

Impacts of population growth

Land Degradation The land is the most important resource in Bangladesh and it is under intense use threatening its carrying capacity. The pressure of population on land is a crucial factor in the management of land resources in the country. Availability of land is a major constraints in Bangladesh as virtually all available land is utilized for crop production, homestead, commercial establishment, road network, urban development, forestry, fishing etc. The country lacks a comprehensive land use policy emphasizing the most appropriate and productive use of land. Degradation of soil fertility due to indiscriminate and inefficient use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides and river erosion are posing treats for both sustainability of agricultural and human habitation in Bangladesh. Depletion of Open-water Fisheries One of the important resources of the country while has been badly depleted in the last few decades is the open water fishery. This has been due to several reasons. Firstly, there has been a net loss of open water fishing areas due to embankments of floodplains is many parts of the country. Secondly, the number of fishermen has increased putting greater pressure on the already shrinking open water fishing area. Thus the fish catch and the important species has declined drastically in most open water fisheries in Bangladesh. Fortunately, there are attempts to protect the open water fishing ecosystems while improving the fish catch which are beginning to show sign of success. Forest and Bio-diversity Population pressure is often cited as a primary reason for encroachment of forest areas and conversion to crop lands. While this is no doubt true, there are many instances of people (especially tribal) living in harmony with forests while protecting and consuming them. Unfortunately, such traditional practices have been lost and a more commercial approach to forest exploitation has led to large-scale deforestation in Bangladesh over the last several decades. Fortunately there are also some success stories in reforestation specially is the coastal belt and also social forestry where people grow and look after trees not only in and around forests but also in villages, road sides, etc. This has been a very successful initiative involving government, NGOs and many other partners. Energy Crisis The rural population of Bangladesh is still heavily dependent on biomass for fuel for cooking. This has led to depletion of biomass and indeed to the loss of organic matter in the soil as animal and crop waste is need more and more for fuel. Efforts to grow more biomass are being promoted but have not yet had any major impacts. Other sources of renewable energy also need to be explored.

Health and Sanitation In addition to clean drinking water safe disposal of waste has been an area of emphasis, particularly in combating diarrheal diseases. While there has been some success in promoting pit latrines by government as well as NGOs there is still a long way to go before it takes a critical turn. Contamination of water still remains the major source of disease and morbidity in the country. High population density compounds the health hazards from lack of adequate sanitation. Pollution of Air and Water The population in urban centres is going several times faster than rural population and the proportion of poor in the urban centre is also very high. They, thus become prey to specific problems of the urban environment, which the rural poor do not have to face. One such problem is air pollution from vehicular emission, which produce not only particulate but also leads, which can effect babies and children. Other hazards include water pollution and social waste generation, which the urban population has to face every day. Growing Slums The growth of slums appears to be the direct outcome of the growth of urban population because of rural to urban migration pushed by the rural poverty and unemployment. About 30% of the city dwellers are living in over 1200 slums in Dhaka City. The situation is more or less same for the other cities. The slums houses are made of poor construction materials such old CI sheets, wood, bamboo, straw, sack and polythene. The slum dwellers don not have adequate income to good food, cloths, heath and education for their children. They are not provided necessary civic amenities such as water, gas, electricity, and sanitation facilities and health service. They live in very poor environment and equally, they degrade the city environment. Impacts of Climate Change Global Climate is changing in the recent decades at a faster rate and the climatic change is likely to threaten the delicate balance among the ecological, social and economic systems and their environment. The change of climate is caused mainly due to by anthropogenic emissions. Although the magnitude of the change can not be predicted with high degree of accuracy, the process is likely to be irreversible and the potential effects can not be ignored. Though Bangladesh is a highly populated country, but at present the country contributes very little amount of GHG compared to other developing countries, because of low resources availability and per capita low consumption. Different projections suggest that the country will emit more GHG, because of its growing economic activities, urbanization and modernization in 21st century. Although, the countrys share of total global GHG emission is very insignificant, the country is very vulnerable (in terms loss of land, population dislocation, loss of economy, and other climatic

events like flood, drought, cyclone, salt water intrusion etc) to any climate change and sea level rise.

The Challenges of Bangladesh

The very first challenge of Bangladesh, that all attempt to transform human development concept into reality, the population size itself is very big one and not easy to ensure proper balancing between human numbers and their needs and the resources. Thus in the field of population and health sector development which form the basis for human development, among various other challenges the most significant and critical ones are:

The Population Program itself Maternal Health Care. Adolescent Health Nutritional Status. Program Sustainability.

Other challenges include poverty eradication, environment urbanization education (especially need for female education) and the Gender agenda. There are some challenges of future population growth, and at the same time ensure accelerated human development in the context of a poverty stricken economy The population imperative for the acceleration of sustainable human development is evident from the following salient features of the Bangladesh population.

Young age structure of the population, Married women in the reproductive ages (15-49) account for 40 percent of the total female population. Rate of early marriage of girls is still high. Urban population accounts for about 27 percent of the total population of the country. Neo-natal, infant, child, and maternal mortality rates are still very high. Increasing (relative) size of the elderly population. The large size of the slum population and higher fertility rate in the slum dwellers.

Conclusion

The Bangladesh population program has made substantial progress over the last thirty seven years. The fertility transition is already well underway and the success of the immunization program is also impressive. The contraceptive prevalence rate has already reached 53.8 percent from 7.7 percent in 1975 and the fertility rate has declined for 6.3 in 1975 to 3.3 in 2000. The crude birth rate has declined from 47 in 1973 to 22.4 in 2000. And crude death rate has also declined from 17.1 in 1973 to 8.2 in 2000. The full immunization rate has peaked up to 69 percent from a very low level of only 2 percent in 1985. The infant mortality rate has declined from 94 for the period 1989-93 to 66.4 per 1000 live births in 2000 and life expectancy at birth has gone up to about 61 years for both the sexes. The remarkable success achieved by the Bangladesh population Program despite widespread poverty and underdevelopment is a logical consequence of the realization of the concept of population and development adopted in various development Plans. The major ingredients attributable to this successful model exhibited by our population Program include among others the followings. Sustained political commitment, Maternal and child health based strategy, Extensive network of field workers and service centers, Committed field force with women-to- women services, Cafeteria approach to services, Decentralized service delivery (Through satellite clinics and EPI out reach centers at the gross- root level). Active Government NGO collaboration. Advocacy with religious and other community leaders. Pro-active role of the mass media, Involvement of the women. Inter-sectoral collaboration, Wide use of research in policy making.

Bibliography
1. Summary findings 1994, 1995, 1996 & 1999 Health & Demographic Survey (HDS). BBS. 2. Contraceptive Prevalence Rate, November 1995. (Provisional, HDS, BBS). 3. The 1993-94, 1996-97, 1999-2000 Bangladesh Demographic & Health Survey (BDHS). 4. An Economic Geography of Bangladesh- Haroon-or-Rashid 5. Morbidity Health & Household Environment Statistics BBS 1997. 6. Census Report 2001 7. Statistical Pocket Book of Bangladesh, 1999, 2000. 8. MIS Report 2000, Directorate of Health Services. 9. Khan MR- Population and Environmental Dynamics, Poverty and Quality of Life in Bangladesh, (Country paper prepared for ESCAP), BIDS, Dhaka 10. National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), Mitra and Associates (MA), and ORC Macro (ORCM). Dhaka,--Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 1999-2000.