Effects of Overpopulation in India

This paper examines the issue of sustainability in India and its implications on sustainability. It discusses the causes and effects of overpopulation in India and suggests steps to control rapid population growth.

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary 1
Introduction 2
Effects of overpopulation in India 3
Who are responsible for overpopulation in India 4
Steps to control rapid population growth in India 5
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………6
References………………………………………………………………………………………8

1. Executive summary
Overpopulation is an undesirable condition where the number of people has exceeded or is
almost exceeding the carrying capacity of certain earth. Quite a number of issues have been
known to cause over population such as reduced mortality rate and availability if better medical
facilities among others.
This paper is going to examine the issue of sustainability in India and its implications on
sustainability. It's an empirical study that seeks to determine how sustainability can be affected
by the issue of overpopulation.

2. Introduction
India is the world’s second most populated in the world. According to the Indian census that was
carried out in 211, the population of Indian was about 1200000000. This means that Indian has
crossed the 1 billion mark in terms of its population. Research and other studies have also
projected that India will be the most populated country in the world by 2025. Despite the many
efforts by the Indian government to reduce the fertility rate over the past ten years, statistics
indicate that a significant stabilization and/or a balance will be visible only by 2050 (Atkin, 2013
p.98).
In addition the paper discusses the issue of sustainable development is direct to the issue of
population growth and some of its immediate effects such as poverty and environmental
degradation. India's rapid population growth is a really great threat to the ecological system not
only itself but also other countries across the globe (Barnett, Lee, Lin, 2013 p.75). The
magnitude of population growth has brought about some really great concern. Statistics indicate
that India occupies about 2.4% of the global area and its population is about 16% of the world’s
total population. Its population has doubled since 1994 and its statistics indicate that there are
really minimal chances for it to stabilize after 2025 (Bhowmik et al, 2013 p.91).
In order to understand the issue of sustainability in regard to the issue of overpopulation in India,
it is best that we first get to understand the concept of sustainability in details. Sustainability is a
process of maintaining a state of balance in the use of resources and in that way maintaining an
ecological balance. The issue of overpopulation is a threat to sustainability as an increasing
population tends to put pressure on the available resources thereby causing as a state on no
balance in the ecological system (Chatterjee et al, 2013 p.23).

The paper also focuses on causes of over population in India. Over population is often associated
with two major aspects. These aspects are; having a birthrate that is higher than the death rate
and a higher fertility rate. Some of the leading causes of over population in India are outlined
below;
High levels of poverty and illiteracy have contributed to extremely rapid growth in the
population of India. Indian is a developing country. It is also characterized by issues such as
poverty and high levels of illiteracy. There are various myths and assumptions that exist in
Indian that have contributed to an increase in the population of India. For instance, having a
notion that the higher the number of members in a certain family the more the income the parents
get and also a notion that children will take care of their parents when they are old (Chen et al,
2016 p.123).
Illegal migration is also another factor that has contributed to the situation of over population in
India. Illegal migration has been taking place in various places in India. Some of the places that
illegal migration has been common are Bangladesh and Nepal. This contributes to an increase in
the population bringing about cases of over population (Chopra, 2016 p.79).
The issue of over population in Indian has also been brought about by the aspect of increased life
expectancy. According to the 2011 census report, the annual birth rate in India had increased
while the death rate and decreased. Since the death rates had slowly gone down and the birth
rates increased, this has led to overpopulation.
Lack of family planning is also a factor that leads to overpopulation in India. As mentioned
earlier, India is a country that has been characterized by issues such as poverty and illiteracy.

Poverty, as well as illiteracy, has made the Indian people ignorant they make then not to consider
the issue of family planning and therefore causing over population (Ferri et al, 2012 p.91).
3. Effects of over population in India
Overpopulation is a really serious problem that acts as an obstacle to national development. This
is because cases of over-population often have a direct effect on society and the nation at large.
Some of the effects of over population in India are outlined below;
Over population and food security
First and foremost, overpopulation creates so much pressure on food, clothing, and housing. In
India, the issue of overpopulation has caused issues such as scarcity of food, minimum clothing,
and unavailability of better housing facilities. These are the basic necessities for human survival
and when such issues are lacking in a certain nation as a result of over population this really
hinders economic development (Galligan et al, 2014 p.110). The economic development of a
country is dependent on the nature of its population. In addition, this, lack of these basic
necessities causes issues such as deterioration of lifestyle and increased cases of slums.
Unemployment
Unemployment is another issue that has been brought about by the issue of over population in
India. In India, there are so many people competing for fewer jobs. The net effect here is
unemployment. In addition to this, the vacancy rate is negligible as compared to those seeking
employment. As a result of unemployment, the wage rates are equally low. This is a really

serious problem in India as managing such a large family with fewer wages is quite challenging.
In addition to the issue of employment, most of the jobs that are available lack security and the
working condition are such jobs is really low. It is important to note that despite the poor
working conditions, people struggle for these jobs in India because of the unavailability of jobs.
Overpopulation in India has resulted in low living standards amongst many families in India
(Gupta, Ariyawardana, Johnson, 2013 p.56).
Other economic effects
Over population in India has also contributed to some serious economic consequences. Rapid
population growth has the effect of slowing down the growth per capita income and in that case
reducing the overall growth of the gross national product. In addition to this, so much effort and
resources are spent on other issues such as relief food and sorting out various social problems.
This makes almost impossible to allocate resources to national development and other economic
activities. This makes economic development quite challenging. This is exactly the same case
with India. On the same issue of economic development, rapid population growth tends to
perpetuate issues of disparities in income distribution (Imbert & Papp, 2015 p.26). As a result of
this, the gap between the rich and the poor in society increases. In India, there is a really huge
gap between the poor and the rich. Disparities in income distribution could be so catastrophic to
the economic development of a country as it affects the quality as well as the quantity of
international trade.
The issue of over population in India has really affected the quality of education in the country.
As we all know, education is a very key component of development. The issue of education and

development are closely related. In a high percentage of the population is comprised of young
people, mostly youths and teenagers.
The quality of education in this country is really low because of the student to teacher ratio. In
addition to this, their economic development is stagnant because of the issue of the population as
a high percentage of their population are students which contributed less and/or not at all to the
economic development of the country (Martín 2015 p.51).
Environmental pollution
Environmental pollution is also an issue that is brought about by the effect of over population.
Pollution and population growth are directly related. In most cases, pollution is brought about by
exhausting large proportions of wastes. In India, so much waste is released into the environment
causing detrimental efforts to the environment and ultimately to human life. More in cases of
over population there are often many cases of deforestation as people tend to clear forests for
settlement. This causes some catastrophic consequences such as issues of global warming and
climatic changes. Eco-degradation is a phenomenon that is brought about by the issue of over
population. There are often increased cases of water, land and air pollution. In most cases, there
are incidents of death and diseases as a result of overcrowding. Unhygienic conditions are a
direct consequence of over-population (Martin & Schoeni, 2014 p.84).
Over population also bring pressure on infrastructure. The development of infrastructure in most
cases is not in a position to keep up with the pace of population increase. In most cases, this
causes issues such as lack of transport facilities and/or poor transport facilities, poor
communication systems, poor housing conditions, poor education system, and healthcare
services. In most cases, these effects are portrayed with issues such as increased traffic on major

roads and highways and overcrowding. In India, the issue of traffic congestion and overcrowding
is a very common challenge.
Over population interferes with the core issues and principles of sustainability. For instance, over
population is often characterized by issues of habitat destruction and loss of bio diversity. As we
all know the protection of the earth's biological diversity is a very important priority.
Biodiversity is a very crucial aspect as it has a direct effect on food and agriculture which are
very important aspects of human survival.
One of the greatest threat of biodiversity is not often the destruction of plants and animals but
rather a destruction of their natural habitats. Population growth in India has resulted in an
expansion in human settlement and increased demand for food. This is to imply that the
biodiversity of the world is in very great danger and when this situation is not properly handled it
could lead to some really great damage.
Sustainability is compromised because of the ever growing Indian population. This could result
in issues such as global warming and climate change. For a country with a large population such
as India, there would be cases of a rapid increase in the use of energy such as coal and other
fossil fuels which play a very crucial role in global warming and ultimately climate change.
Global worming can be very catastrophic. It’s often associated with various effects that range for
physical, environmental and social economic (Milner et al, 2017 p.21). Climate change, on the
other hand, is an effect that is brought about by intense cases of global warming. Climate change
has the effect of causing changes in precipitation patterns, soil moisture content, a rise in the seas
level as well as water availability. Such effects have an impact on agriculture and the natural
eco-system. Changes in temperature that are often characterized by an increase in temperature is

also another consequence of climate change. These cases usually result in health problems and
causes disruptions in the settlement patterns of an area as well as large scale migration.
As a result of this, it is important the issue of sustainability is considered as it could lead to some
really serious consequences. A state of balance should be maintained and efforts should be made
to ensure that there are a balance and no pressure input on the less available resources (Mohan &
Kandya, 2015 p.201).
4. Who are responsible for overpopulation in India
The section shows those who are responsible for issue of overpopulation. In India the issue of
overpopulation has been increasing and those are responsible are yet to control the issue. The
families in the nation are responsible for overpopulation in the country. In addition different
organization are yet to educate the nation on issues of overpopulation.
Also, the government is yet to educate the nation on the use of scientific methods to control
overpopulation in the nation (Oliver‐Smith, 2015 p.37).
5. Steps to control the rapid population growth in India
Demographics and statistics indicate that India’s population is likely to stabilize by 2025 or
further. There is a great need to deal with the issue of overpopulation so as to ascertain
sustainability and in that way reducing some of the effects that are brought about by
overpopulation such as unemployment.
Government intervention

The government of India and other relevant stakeholders and policy makers need to initiate
various polices that will be aimed towards reducing the rapid population growth in India. Some
of the common deliberate actions that should be initiated in India so as to regulate the population
growth are outlined below;
First and foremost one of the most appropriate ways that India can take to manage it is
overgrowing population is through women empowerment. Women are a very important
component in a community and the y contribute so much towards population growth. Initiatives
taken to empower women on various issues such as on matters that directly affect them such as
the issue of child birth would a really great step towards managing the population crisis (Prince
et al, 2012 p.90).
Eradication of poverty
Secondly, eradication of poverty is an appropriate way that India can use as a tool towards
managing its overgrowing population. As discussd earlier, one of the causes of over population
in India is poverty. Poverty has made Indian parents believe that its best that someone has so
many children because that would mean more income in the family once these children grow up.
This is not often the case. Coming up with means of reducing poverty would be one of the best
ways of managing the enormous population in India (Remón et al, 2013 p.17).
Creation of public awareness on the need to reduce and manage the country’s population would a
very bold step towards dealing with the population issue in India. This would be achieved by
sensitizing on the need to have lesser children and some of the challenges that are associated
with the issue over population. This awareness should be conducted with a both governmental
and non-governmental organization. They should create awareness on issues such as the need for

proper nutrition and medication. This would play a very crucial role in managing the population
crisis in India.
Adopt the use of contraceptives
Issuing contraceptives at affordable prices. The use of contraceptives is one of the best ways in
which India can deal with the issue of over population in India. Contraceptives should be offered
at relatively cheaper and affordable prices. Contraceptives play a very essential role in ensuring
that cases on unwanted pregnancies are reduced (Sarker, Ali, Islam, 2015 p.62). Measures should
be taken by the Indian government to ensure that cheap and affordable contraceptives are
available at all major and local hospitals. People should also be sensitized on the need to use and
how to use contraceptives.
Use of incentives
Moreover, other steps that could be taken by India to manage it's over growing population would
be through the provision of incentives. These incentives could be in the form of health, education
or even financial. It is also important to note that these incentives should only be provided to
persons and families who abide by the regulations that the government provides regarding the
rate of child birth per family and so on.
6. Recommendations
In regard to the issue of over population in India, the following recommendations can be made;
The issue of over population is becoming a national concern; measures need to be taken so as to
address this issue.

India population has been on a rise of its poor policies, there are no policies that govern child
birth in India, this needs to be addressed as well
Both the government and other non-governmental organizations needs to come together so as to
address the issue of over population.
The government should sensitize on various issues such as sex education amongst women so as
to reduce the issue of over population in the country.
The use of contraceptives should be publicly addressed so as to counteract some of the myths
and misconceptions that exist around the use of contraceptives.
There is also need to address on the issue of having a manageable family, too many children does
not mean prosperity.
7. Conclusion
Despite the status of its population growth, India has shown some really great strength in the
global world in various fields such as medicine, health care, and science and technology. There is
a real need to address the issue of overpopulation in the country so as to ensure sustainability.
Public awareness should be made and sensitization made on various policies of population
control policies be made.
The issue of sustainability is really affecting India. This is so because there is no state of balance
between the availability of resources and the pressure that is being put on these limited resources
that are available (Spears, Ghosh, Cumming, 2013 p.47).
As mentioned earlier, a state of balance needs to be established and this can only be achieved if
and only if measures are taken to reduce and/or stabilize the rapidly growing population in India.

Some of the measures and policies that the government of India can adapt to reduce the rate of
population growth in India are; sex education and sensitizing in the use of contraceptives among
others.

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Bibliography
Population Distribution of various regions in the world
Population projection curves