Population boom

Photo: Adnan / Driknews

Mr. Mamoon's letter (5 Oct) deals with the most important problem facing the country in the foreseeable future. The government and donor agencies must rectify the shortfall of birth control pills and artefacts with renewed vigour. Mr. Mamoon mentioned other problems and suggested solutions with which I totally agree. However, as a member of Optimum Population Trust (UK) and its various parameters to support a viable healthy population I would say that the optimum population of Bangladesh is in the region of 30 million rather than 100 million. By the same parameters optimum population of England is calculated to be only about 20 million and no more!
Besides aids to birth control and various other inducements like preferential treatment of smaller families, educating the women etc, there must also be a social policy (and funds and service) to look after poor and needy senior citizens in their old age who do not have children's income or assistance to fall back upon.
The last is the main reason, (although not immediately causative,) why most poor people produce too many children and with assurance for incapacity due to health or age as part of an established social service (as is available in say UK), I am sure the poor would not want, nor need too many children. Donor agencies should help with funds for such social service as well as for actual family planning programmes, as both are necessary to contain and hopefully to decrease the population.