Problems On Economic Development

Economic development does not refer solely to the total development of a society. It is only a part or a dimension of national development. It is not industrializing either, because there can be economic development even in an agrarian-based society. Neither it is the equivalent of economic growth. Economics is merely a rise in the Gross National Product (GNP) or the total amount of goods and services that a country produces in a given year.

An accelerating population growth can aggravate the problem of rising capital cost. Everything normally taken for granted, such as land, living space, fresh water and clean air, becomes costly in a crowded, increasingly affluent world. Capital shortage is another development. As population increases, more capital outlays are required to provide the people with human necessities.

Problems On Food

Population growth has outstripped increases in food production. The per capita food production dropped because of high population growth rate. Most of the people of the world do consume far less than the optimum food intake, both in amount and balance. It is estimated that at least half of our children are either undernourished or malnourished. There is a need to double the production of milk, fruits and vegetables and increase the production of sugar, meat, fat and oil, roots and tubers and cereals to satisfy the adult daily calorie and other dietary requirements.

Problems On Education

It is widely assumed that before a nation can benefit from the cultural blessings of modern technology and science, or enjoy an active cultural life or art, literature and music, a very large share of its population must be literate and a substantial proportion must have secondary and college training. Increase in population may mean more schools, classrooms and other materials to be needed by the children.

With rapid population growth, the quality of education is difficult to measure. It is known that a substantial portion of the effort and money devoted to primary education is wasted. High school rates, non-attendance rates and drop-out rates mean that many primary school enrollees do not even become functionally literate. Poor physical facilities, poorly-trained teachers and irrelevant courses are also too common. Funds are scarce. It is reasonable to assume that there have been pressures made on the government regarding the expansion of schools but not regarding the quality of education. Statements on record by the secretary of education and educational planners lament a deterioration in the quality of education. From them, one can infer that educational quality has been a frequent casually of the rapid population growth of educational systems.

Problems On Health Services

The clearest relationship between population growth and personal health services is the direct demand that more population creates for more health services. With a rapid increase in population, additional health workers will be recruited by the Department of Health to meet the increasing demands for health services now available and additional health personnel for new types of services and activities that will have to be provided for.

The number of units of the various health services needs to be increased proportionately if the same general level of health services is to be maintained. This does not take into account increases in health services. This is especially true with health services that are essentially population-dependent such as maternal and child health services, dental health services, environmental sanitation, control of communicable diseases and health education of the public.

Problems On Environment

Overpopulation and industrialization have contributed in various ways to the general deterioration of the environment upon which humanity is completely dependent for life. The most obvious aspect of environmental deterioration is lumped under the term "pollution." Pollutants reach us through the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the sound we hear.

  • Air Pollution

Every major metropolis of the country has serious air pollution problems. The entire country is now affected to some degree. Air pollution is now recognized not only  as an agent that rots nylon stockings, corrodes paint and steel, blackens skies and washes on the clothesline and damages millions of pesos worth of crops annually, but it is also recognized as a killer of people. The country has not been able to improve its air quality in spite of the strenuous effort to control air pollution because of population growth. Even though the per capita amount of pollution has declined, the number of people has increased. And, of course, more people means more business and industry, which, in turn, tends to attract more people. Air pollution continues as more people drive more cars and use more electric power.

  • Water Pollution

As human population grows, its need for water for heating, cooling, cooking, cleaning and drinking also grows. As population grows, so does industries, which pours into our water supllies as vast array of contaminants. As population grows, so does the need for increased agricultural production which results in a heavier water-borne load of pesticides, herbicides and nitrates. As a result, pollution spreads not only in streams, rivers, lakes and along seashores, but also, and most seriously, in ground water, where purification is almost possible.

Problems on Employment

Rapid population growth causes unemployment. More people will mean less job, because there are more workers than the jobs available. If there are so many unemployed, problems may arise such as poverty, juvenile delinquency and also several number of crimes.