Peshawar: As the Pakistan's population surged to a staggering 241 million mark early this year, the pressures on its socio-economic fabric have become increasingly evident in all provinces, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where 2.5 million housing units needed for the underprivileged and poor segments of the society.
This demographic boom, which had escalated from just 33 million population in 1950, is now positioned the country as the fifth most populous in the world, trailing only after China, India, USA, and Indonesia.
This population explosion brought socioeconomic services including education, agriculture, housing and hospitals under mounting pressure in Pakistan especially in KP.
This was stated by Professor Dr Muhammad Naeemur Rehman Khattak, former Chairman of Economics Department at Universiry of Peshawar during an interview with reporter.
He said the findings of the 6th Population and Housing Census 2017 are alarming and needs attention of the authorities concerned to tackle the population explosion which are eating the country's resources like a termite.
The national census recorded a growth rate of 2.4% since 1998, highlighting an urgent need for comprehensive strategies at national and provincial level to address the burgeoning health, education and housing problems in KP.
He said that about 10 million housing units were required across the country including 2.5 million in KP, a number that could double by 2030 if the current population growth persists.
He claimed that the demand for new housing units was growing at a rate of 600,000 per year that would bring agriculture land pressure.
He said the rising migration trend to urban areas has further complicated the issue despite the fact that around 63.6% of the population were still residing in rural areas Inspite of a noticeable increase in urban dwellers from 32.52% in 1998 to 36.4% in 2017.
He said this shift has placed an additional strain on urban infrastructure and civic services especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In KP alone, he said the population has crossed 30 million million mark, with an annual growth rate of 2.89%, which should be a matter of great concern.
The increasing influx of individuals from less-developed regions is exacerbating housing shortages in urban centers like Peshawar, said khtair Wali Khan, PMLN KP spokesman.
He said that PTI Government has failed to construct 5 million houses in the country despit its announcement by PTI founder who remained in power for four long years in the centre, Punjab and KP.
The PMLN leader said that PTI leadership concentrated on agitation politics to get relief for their jailed leader but failed.
He argued that controlling population growth was vital for addressing wider socio-economic challenges such as unemployment, poverty, illiteracy and corruption.
Wali emphasized that a failure to implement effective family planning and population welfare programs in KP would negatively impact education and health delivery, agricultural productivity, and overall economic growth.
The rapid increase in population is a barrier in way of autorkey in food in the wake of climate change induced weather patterns, he maintained.
"Without addressing the monster issue of overpopulation, we cannot hope to tackle unemployment, illiteracy or poverty, he said, adding the current landscape of shortage of housing and hospitals in in KP have vividly illustrated these challenges.
Aside from a few housing projects like Hayatabad Township and Regi Model Town, he said there was a little progress in public housing initiatives in KP, resulting in skyrocketing property prices and rent in major cities of the province affecting common man.
Residents like Waris Khan, who have spent substantial economic resources on hiring of rented house for nearly two decades, feel the weight of these challenges daily. "I have paid about Rstwo million on hiring of a house for family on rent with no end in sight till today," he lamented.
Experts suggested that KP must learn from successful housing projects in countries like China, launching small residential developments in urban areas to provide affordable housing to poor coupled with robust family planning initiatives, which could help reduce the current population growth rate significantly besides property cost.
Ultimately, the solution to our province pressing issues lies in a collective effort by all stakeholders to control population explosion.
By doing so, the country can pave the way for sustainable economic growth, ensure food security, enhanced living standards, and a brighter future for its citizens.
As the country especially KP stands at this crossroads, the urgency for action against population explosion has never been more critical than today. The experts underscored the need for awareness among masses imperative to provide a brighter future to upcoming generations.