POPULATION AND POVERTY :

People are generally the most valuable asset to better economic and social conditions and the quality of life. But in many countries like Bangladesh, continued population growth leads to serious imbalances between the resource base, the environment and economic development, that reinforce treadmill of ill-health, malnutrition, income inequality, social unrest and above all, environmental degradation.
A high population growth rate in Bangladesh will not be sustainable in the long run. Country's population problem relates to both its quantity and quality. The literacy percentage is 35.5 and according to a source, nearly 4h percent people live below poverty level. Country's population is about 120 million confined within 148393 sq km, making its population density the highest in the world. At present, more than 50 percent of the population receive less than 80 percent of the required calorie intake. Malnutrition is a major cause of childhood mortality and adult illness.
Most of the people are to meet their basic needs i.e. food, shelter and clothing. Therefore, it is quite troublesome for them to raise resources for immediate needs at the cost of long term degradation. On the other hand, they are most vulnerable group and least capable to cope with environmental impacts of floods and droughts caused by improper use of resources.
The single most critical factor that will increasingly hamper development in Bangladesh, is the size and rate of growth on an already overwhelmingly large population. Such growth rate with already very large population will tremendously stain country's land resource for development in the years ahead.
In view of the country's limited efforts, it is essential to focus parallel efforts to slow down population growth on the one hand, and on the other, to stop the deforestation, discharging of toxic chemicals, loss of inland wetlands, over exploitation of fisheries, destruction of fish habitat and larvae and poor land soil management.
The government's family planning program has had considerable success, but a continued rapid decline in fertility will be needed to significantly slow the growth in population. If the current rate of population growth continues, the population in Bangladesh will double to 240 million over the next 30 years.
As women constitute about half of the population, they are also a potentially important age of socio-economic dynamics and sustainable development. Increasing the status of women, particularly through enhanced education opportunities will also be vital in achieving lower fertility rates, as it will be in finding sustainable solutions of many of the environmental problems.

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