Have you ever traveled by bus during the rush hour? Have you stood in a queue for kerosene? Or seen people struggling for water at public taps and water talkers? Have you seen the long queues at railway station booking counters during the summer rush? Have you noticed the busting crowds at fairs and rythu bazaar? Recall the crowds during festival, at churches, mosques, and temples. You will clearly see what population explosion means. The entire above scene are the results of our growing population.

The number of people living in certain area is called as the population of the area. When the area is rich in natural resource, people turn into human resource. Bereft of natural resources or gainful employment, however, the large numbers of people turn into a liability called population problem. The population of Andhra Pradesh has rise from 30 million in 1951 to 80 million now. But, the area of the state has not increased by even an inch. As our numbers increase, our living space shrinks.

While some species are gradually decreasing in number, some have already become extinct. Trees, insects, birds, and animals are reducing in number but viruses, mosquitoes and such other creatures are multiplying as are human beings. The change in populations can harm our environment.

To understand the link between human population and the environment, you should do the following project carefully.

Let us examine in the changes in an area in the last ten years. Form teams of five members each in the class. Select a locality for each of the teams. Meet a few seniors in each of the localities to get the basic details of the area. Meet the ward/ Panchyats officials and the postman of the area. This may fetch you details of the number of houses in the locality and the number of families living there. The ward/panchyats officials keep these details for implementing developmental plans locality. Roads, water supply and sanitation facilities are extended based on this data. Collect details of the situation in the area in the last ten years.

Investigate how frequently the water pipelines burst, or why drains get clogged or why power supply is insufficient these days. Growing population is increase use of the natural resources in the area.

If houses in an area are all single –stored, then it is possible to ensure adequate roads, efficient drainages and clean protected water. But if the same area has double and multi-storied buildings as at present, the pressure on the roads, drainages and electricity multiplies. There are bound to be traffic jams, water shortages and increased electricity consumption.

The load on the drain pipes because of more people letting out increased quantity of used water causes them to burst, necessitating bigger pipes. Roads have to be expanded by demolishing buildings/shops along them. How much can we expand the roads? Besides, growing traffic means more parking spaces. In this process of expansion and growth, the green patches of parks and gardens that give us the precious oxygen are destroyed.

Local governments in villages and cities are selling away open spaces to build houses. But they have no place in their plans to harvest rainwater or to increase the number of parks are our lung spaces.