IndiaA look at the problem of overpopulation and its effects on health

Indus Valley Civilization began around 7000 BC.

Middle Ages defined by power struggle between kingdoms.

East India Company established in early 18th century.

Independent from UK rule in 1947.

Indian History

Population Size: 1.236 billion people 25 states 19 major languages 100 dialects 6 religions Thousands of castes and sub-castes

India: Overview

According to ABC News, India currently faces approximately 33 births a minute, 2,000 an hour, 48,000 a day, which calculates to nearly 12 million a year

Population growth rate: 1.25 % Birth rate: 19.89/1000 Death rate: 7.35/1000

Overpopulation Problem

• 50% of population lives on less than one dollar a day• 48% of adult men are illiterate• 62% of woman population are illiterate

Statistics

• 53% of children under the age of 5 are malnourished• 71% of the population have no access

to sanitation• 37% have no access to clean water• Over 100 million child laborers

Infectious diseases High Infant Morality rate Malnutrition Inadequate drinking water Poor Sanitation

Overpopulation Health Effects:

8% of all deaths in Mumbai are caused by Tuberculosis (TB).

TB is spread through the air. One in two Indians infected with TB has diabetes, making

it very difficult to prevent the spread and treat. A diabetic is 5 times more likely to die from TB.

Infectious diseases

1.7 million children below the age of 5 die every year with over half of those die within the first month

A girl under 5 is 75% more likely to die than a boy under 5, because of socio-cultural values

Infant Mortality Rate

“more than half of all children under the age of four are malnourished, 30 percent of newborns are significantly underweight, and 60 percent of women are anemic.”◦ -World Bank Group-

5  states and 50 percent of villages account for about 80 percent of the malnutrition cases.

Cause of Malnutrition: Lack of adequate amounts of food

Malnutrition

India has 170 million hectares of farming land Potential to produce among world’s highest

crop yields Main agricultural products: wheat and rice Problems:

◦ Population expansion is removing farmlands◦ Small fragmented land holdings◦ Inadequate irrigation◦ Depleted soils◦ Proper storage◦ Efficiency

Agriculture

88% of population has access to some drinking water

25% of population has drinking water access on their premise◦ Women collect the drinking water

67% of households do not treat their drinking water

1600 deaths per day due to poor sanitation 21% of communicable diseases are related to

unsafe drinking water (37.7 affected each year)

Inadequate Drinking Water

“India’s huge and growing population is putting a severe strain on off of the country’s natural resources” –Water.org-

Most water is contaminated by agricultural runoff and sewage

Water has large chemical deposits including Flouride and Arsenic

India’s water supply gets contaminated during monsoon season – surface is polluted

Water is used to grow rice and wheat.

Overpopulation: The Cause of Unsafe Drinking Water

Rural sanitation coverage was estimated to have reached only 21% by 2008 –WHO-

Only 32% of rural households have access to their own toilet

Poor sanitation impairs the health leading to high rates of malnutrition and productivity losses

Growing population has a direct relationship with inadequate sanitation

Hand Washing Statistics:◦ 53% wash after defecation◦ 38% wash before eating ◦ 30% wash before preparing food

Inadequate Sanitation

Impact of Inadequate Sanitation on GDP

Diseases Associated with Inadequate Sanitation

Overpopulation = Sanitation Problem 20 Indian cities have over 1 million

residents Cities sewer systems were not built to

handle large amount of people City infrastructure is not suited to handle

the current population size 75% of surface water resources are polluted

and 80% is due to sewage alone Poor sanitation is hindering India’s GDP

Solve Illiteracy◦ Increase level of eduaction

Sanitation Reform◦ Clean up the cities

Improve Social System Increase access to food

Solutions

62% of woman population are illiterate◦ 48% men

The need to educate men is essential◦ Historically, men are the ones in control of the

relationship with women.

“Education is the only way to favor family planning acceptance” (Free world Academy, n.d)

Increase the access to education Need for more private schools to balance

problems in public schools

Solution: Increase Education

Need to increase the amount of access to education and literacy◦ Government should help/assist those who want to

open schools and actually follow through To increase investment:

◦ Redistribution of public resources is needed Take money from the army

◦ Fiscal reform Rebalance the budget More contribution from the higher class

Education should teach men/women about contraceptives and pregnancy

Solution: Increase Education

Solution: Sanitation reform Create public health programs emphasizing hygiene.

◦ Hand washing with soap after defecating can decrease diarrheal diseases by 40% and respiratory infections by 30%.

◦ Implement these programs in schools to get people thinking about sanitation at an early age.

Improve water sources and hygiene facilities in school.◦ Children are the most susceptible to diseases caused by

poor sanitation. Improve water pipeline system to increase the

number of houses getting clean water.◦ Decreases the burden of women and children to secure

water.

Increase access to publicly available toilets. Improve and increase wastewater facilities

◦ Only 30% of the water is treated.◦ Improve the Fluoride and Arsenic problems.

Improve the sewerage systems.◦ Poor maintenance has led to overflow of raw

sewage.◦ The most populous cities’ sewage systems can’t

handle their massive population.

Solution: Sanitation reform

Create laws to stop the abuse against the lower caste population.◦ There are caste classifications for college quotas

and job reservations◦ A better educated population allows people to

move out of the slums. Create women’s rights laws

◦ Women have an unequal opportunity in education, employment, and the right to be born.

◦ More educated and better paid women helps decrease malnutrition in children.

Improve the Social System

Food is a necessity and malnutrition will be diminished with larger amounts of food available

Increase the productivity in agriculture◦ New farming equipment ◦ Increase efficiency◦ If productivity in farming is increased: farmers have less of

need to have extra children to help out on the farm Build better harvest storage areas

◦ 10% of each harvest is wasted due to inadequate storage Increases in food supply leads to:

◦ Healthier people Less need for couples to have more children to support them

Increase pro

Solution: Increase access to food

http://www.who.int/countries/ind/en/ http://www.healthissuesindia.com/2014/02/05/sanitation-health-hygiene-indi

a/

http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/centre-clears-rural-water-supply-sanitation-project-1320107.html?utm_source=fwire&utm_medium=hp

http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2011/02/sanitation-in-india/ http://

zeenews.india.com/news/bihar/excessive-arsenic-fluoride-in-water-found-in-bihar_835368.html

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Battle-against-TB-runs-into-diabetes-hurdle/articleshow/15334746.cms?referral=PM

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Battle-against-TB-runs-into-diabetes-hurdle/articleshow/15334746.cms?referral=PM

http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/undesa-data-revealed-higher-female-infant-mortality-rate-in-india-1328093747-1

http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/default.htm

Sources