The Effects of Population Growth in NepalFoa.org, Hotel Nepal, Webshots.com., asinthedaysofnoah.com., traveladventures.com., Sami.com., travelwebsite.com Wedged between China and India, this predominantly agricultural nation best known for Mt. Everest and the Dali Llama faces critical demographic shifts because of the number of people living within its boundaries. An increase of people affects Nepal's migration trends, land use and availability, restricts economic stabilization and nurtures ecological and environmental abuse. Already a world poverty center, the addition of people every year is an ongoing formula for despair among most of Nepal's inhabitants who scratch out a means to exist. Growing dissatisfaction of its primarily young citizens nurtures insurgent uprisings, only adding to the uncertainty of Nepal's future.
.Medical Progress Makes Younger Population
A young Nepalese couple of 2009Inviting medicine, medical care to Nepal and the containment of malaria during the 1950s results in more people living longer and added numbers of babies surviving birth. The average age of a Nepalese is now 15 years of age, which means a steady increase of inhabitants with more babies born as this group matures and forms families. The 2000 census reported 23 million living in Nepal with 2009 statistics showing a growth to over 28.5 million people. According to the Ministry of Population and Environment, Nepal's population will reach 32 million by 2016. Births in 2009 report a rate of 41.2 per 1000 people with a declining death rate of 13.3 of 1000 persons.
Impacting Migration
Overpopulation in the agricultural hillsides continues to force the government to relocate farm workers to expand lands for cultivating. Other than migration to the world-known city of Kathmandu, Nepal (population reported over 1 million in the 2001 census), this migration to the diminishing available land for terraced farming is the highest in Nepal. Even this relocation has its limits, as the cultivatable land is only 18 percent of all the land of the mostly mountainous Nepal. In truth, nearly 21 percent of land is already used and over-terracing of forested land, bordering the mountains persists.
Stifles Economy
Women work most of Nepalese aggregated landWith no abatement of population growth in sight for Nepal, the economic stabilization and reforms initiated by its government cannot take hold. Agriculture is the economic base of this nation with 81 percent of the population (mostly women) working the land. Lacking in land policy issues, Nepal's poor infrastructure development does nothing to address haphazard-farming practices resulting in low agriculture production. Because farming is the mainstay of the economy, there are few non-agricultural jobs for development. Though Nepal has significant possibilities for exploitation in tourism and hydro power through foreign investment interest due to global economic uncertainties, the fact is the outside business prospects remain unlikely. This is due to Nepal's small economic base, underdeveloped technology, its lack of accessibility because of its landlocked geographic location. Add labor disputes, civil unrest and its risk for natural disasters, the future economic and social development of Nepal looks bleak.
Deteriorating Ecology and Environment
Terracing agriculture deforests Nepal's landMoving to clear more of the mountain foothills for terraced crops has cost Nepal 2 percent of its forests every year for the past 30 years. Projections predict with continued destruction of wooded areas as of 2009, within two decades all forests will disappear from Nepal. Destroying timbered land in the past 40 years to make way for terraced-agriculture already affects Nepal's ecology by causing erosion resulting in landslides and loss of soil nutrients. Water contamination from both human and animal excrement, agricultural chemical runoff and industrial waste becomes common with more people. Urban conversion causes Nepal ongoing environmental issues from unchecked vehicular emissions affecting air quality. The lack of managed trash disposal further contaminates ground water. These issues will only continue to escalate with population increases.
More People, More Unrest
This Maoist youth of Nepal represents a threat to all development.Stifling the Nepalese government's effort to tackle the population issues affecting all aspects of the nation is the ongoing threat of insurgent Red rebels from within. Nepal's Communist Party's attempts to throw out Nepal's multiparty democracy to replace it with an established totalitarian communist republic, continues in 2009. Since 1996, the rebels focus efforts on the increased numbers of predominantly young people in Nepalese rural regions to recruit them as Party members. Unrest and rioting continues with the influence of the Reds offering Nepal's poverty-stricken people a way out, particularly for the continually oppressed Nepalese women. Since January 2009 when the Unified Communist Party of Nepal formally unified with the Communist Party of Nepal, these joined forces attract recruits from the largest socio-economic group among Nepal's people--the poor.
Poverty Escalates
Outside of some African countries, Nepal is the poorest country in the world. A population of poor people means these harsh facts escalate as their numbers increase. Most Nepalese live on a $1 day or less and 10 percent of the population takes 50 percent of the wealth and the bottom 40 percent takes 10 percent. Around 85 percent do not have access to health centers. Half of the nation's children (aged 4 to 14) must work a minimum of 60 hours a week, often in the worst and most discriminatory conditions, but all members of the family must work or starve.
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