Many serious issues stare the new government in the face but let us today pinpoint two out of them in these few lines. One is the scarcity of water and the second is population explosion. Sub-soil availability of water has decreased to the dangerous level. In 1947, 5000 cubic meter water was available for every citizen of the country. It has depleted to 1000 cubic meter per citizen now and experts forecast that it would nosedive to 800 cubic meter per citizen by 2025 if this issue wasn’t dealt with on a war footing. Indiscriminate digging of tube wells and borings would have to be controlled if we are to tackle this problem. Side by side, creating public awareness about voluntarily rationing in the use of water would be essential as a lot of water is wasted by us by sheer habit.
The population explosion and water crisis go hand in glove. The speed with which we are multiplying is mind boggling. Today our population has touched the figure of 21 crore. Pakistan is today the sixth biggest country of the world, whereas, 20 years back our population was 14 crore. In 1971 when East Pakistan separated from us, the population of Bangladesh was 20 lakh more than the then-West Pakistan, whereas, now we are ahead of BD in population by 4 crore and 30 lakh . Can’t we replicate the family planning programme of BD and Iran, the two countries which have brought down rate of their population to 1. 08 and 1. 15 percent respectively annually?
In the past wrong interpretation of religious injunction on the subject has also stymied the implementation of family population programme in the country. It is heartening to note that , lately, there has been visible change in the stance of the religious bigwigs on this issue who have now started underscoring the need of a reasonable gap between the births of children in the interest of health of both the child and the mother.
Unless the new government took the afore-mentioned two vital problems seriously , water crisis and unemployment would refuse to go away. Mark my words.
- Latest
- Trending
