Population boom bogey?
Photo: Firoz Gazi / Driknews
Is Bangladesh 'overcrowded' -- with a birth rate of below two per cent per annum? Our density of population is very high [nearly 1,000 persons per sq km] with more than 140m crowded in a small deltaic region, with hundreds of rivers and thousands of canals. The country is barely 15ft above the sea level in the South. In the preceding decades the birth rate was above three percent. How this fertility came about? It is the fertility of the soil in a deltaic region, full of waters. The development of roads, culverts and bridges in the rural areas reduced the transport and communication gaps, and encouraged urban migration. Of course the cities are overcrowded---to seek more opportunities for a higher standard of living. Our human resources are a priceless asset, plus the arable and fertile lands, high agro output [but marketing is still backward, with poor electric supply and lack of cold storage nets in the rural areas]. The public awareness and visibility have increased--thanks to the extreme popularity of the mobile phones. Where is the bug? Bad politics. Getting back to routine level of development environment is a difficult task, as we became free only after nine months of struggle. It takes time to grow roots, and it is not easy in a have-not society, exploited by the colonialists for centuries [the divide and rule policy, which did not encourage the majority community in the British India provinces]. The crooked politicians brought about the freak system of neutral non-political interim government for a few months prior to the general elections. This distrust has retarded the smooth development background; as politics became a business for private gains. The election manifestos of the major parties skip this chapter of history, and are blaming the govt for thrusting the cleansing process during the last two years. The winner-takes-all syndrome has been smashed, let us hope! The old guards have to go -- plain and simple. A new awareness has been created, to shatter the myth that we are overpopulated. Nature is scientific-note the population density in the desert and mountainous regions. Bangladesh is in a much better position than in most of the under-developed countries in Asia, Africa and S America. Three cheers for our rural folks-- Bengal might regain its old glory.
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