The world is currently experiencing rapid population growth, especially in developing and emerging countries across the globe. The global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 with the developing nations accounting for about 97% of the total increase ( Kummu et al ., 2016) . Even though rapid population growth is associated with some benefits such as increased aggregate demand for goods and services and innovation, it results in many challenges and problems that affect the whole world. A number of both renewable and non-renewable resources are limited and rapid population growth can easily result in shortages. At the same time, overpopulation is linked to many health impacts, particularly among poor people who are forced to live in the overcrowded and polluted environment. Also, overpopulation is associated with food and clean water shortage, including environmental degradation ( Kummu et al ., 2016) . Overpopulation leads to many challenges, and it affects almost all people and communities.
Rapid population growth results in overexploitation of natural resources such as fresh water. Currently, due to a high population growth rate, the world is increasingly experiencing a shortage of clean water. Almost 3.8 billion people are affected by the scarcity of fresh water globally ( Kummu et al ., 2016) . First, population growth causes a shortage of fresh water because of the destruction of water catchment areas. Overpopulation forces people to settle in water catchment and reserve areas. Secondly, the enormous demand for fresh water is caused by the rapidly growing population growth, leading to a water-stressed problem. In some water-stressed countries, the demand for fresh water surpasses the supply. Thirdly, population growth leads to result in an increased rate of water pollution, primarily in urban areas. Overpopulation cause improper waste disposal and increased contamination of water bodies ( Kummu et al ., 2016) . Thus, population growth leads to scarcity of fresh water.
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Population growth is also associated with food insecurity. Millions of people across the globe now do not have enough to eat while at the same time a significant percentage of the global population is malnourished. Agriculture is always the sector that is used to maintain food security in both developed and developing countries ( Kummu et al ., 2016) . However, with increasing population, the land for agriculture is gradually diminishing as people use it for settlement. Besides, population growth has led to environmental population, affecting the quantity and quality of agricultural produce. As a result, the agricultural sector can no longer feed the rapidly increasing human population. Malnourishment, therefore, is expected to be one of the significant problems in the developing world because of the rapid growth in human population.
Another major concern that is liked to overpopulation is environmental degradation. It causes a significant demand for food, leading to the destruction of natural habitats as they are transformed into agricultural areas. Specifically, the need to expand agricultural land has resulted in increased deforestation in many countries across the world ( Kummu et al ., 2016) . Apart from seeking land for agricultural use, overpopulation makes people cut trees in large number in search for timbers that are used in industries and construction. Furthermore, to increase agricultural yield, people now use a lot of chemical and fertilizers that pollute the environment. Also, overpopulation leads increase use of automobiles such as vehicles that emit a lot of greenhouse gasses and air pollutants. Transport is one of the sectors that pollute the environment in different parts of the world. Rapid population growth has been identified as one of the major threats to environmental sustainability ( Friis, 2019) .
Also, rapid population growth is linked to overcrowded living conditions. Overpopulation is one of the factors driving rapid rural-urban migration, which is causing overcrowding in many cities globally. At the same time, households are now forced to contain an excess number of people, leading to the problem of indoor congestion or overcrowding. Crowded living conditions are currently one of the significant problems that are faced in urban areas in developed and developing countries. Moreover, overpopulation is posing security concerns in urban areas, as it leads to increased criminal activities ( Friis, 2019) . A lot of illegal activities take place in crowded areas because of the challenge of maintaining law and order. Also, overpopulation can easily cause political instability and civil unrest in a country or community. Therefore, overpopulation is likely to affect the community where I live, especially in terms of security and overcrowding. The community is likely to face a high rate of human congestion, particularly in urban areas and residential areas. The congestion will make it hard for the police to maintain law and order, causing insecurity. The community is most likely to experience the increased rate of robbery and other anti-social activities.
Also, overcrowding is one of the problems that will adversely impact the health of my community, especially children and the elderly. Overcrowding is causing an increase in health risk among children because of the ease of transmitting infectious diseases from one person to another ( Friis, 2019) . Specifically, children living in my community will have a high risk of contracting infectious diseases. The community is likely to experience the increasing rate or prevalence of diseases such as whooping cough, meningitis, malaria, and diarrhea. Other diseases that will be common in my community due to overcrowding include influenza and hepatitis, including chronic illnesses. Thus, overcrowding will affect not only the health of children but also adults who live in the community.
Also, according to Friis (2019), overcrowding is likely to affect the mental and psychological health of the elderly in the community. The elderly are likely to experience psychological distress when they are subjected to overcrowded areas due to their inability to move faster in congested areas. Thus, overcrowding can lead to a mental problem among senior members of the community. Household congestion also affects the mental health of parents, especially when they are required to take care of many children. Moreover, cases of respiratory diseases are likely to surge in the community because of overcrowding. Overcrowding, therefore, can lead to serious adverse health impact in any community and it mainly affects children and elderly persons.
In conclusion, despite some benefits of overpopulation, it had many adverse effects on natural resources, food security, environment, and human health. Millions of people can no longer access clean and fresh water because of rapid population growth, especially in developing countries. Food crisis or scarcity is also a problem that is now experienced in many parts of the world, as the demand outweighs the supply, leading to other problems such as malnourishment. At the same time, the rapid rate of environmental degradation is associated with overpopulation. People are likely to suffer from different types of diseases that are caused by overcrowding. The rate of respiratory and infectious diseases may increase in my community due to overcrowding. As a result, it is important for the government to collaborate with local communities to find effective ways of controlling excessive population growth.
References
Friis, R. H. (2019). Essentials of environmental health . Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Kummu, M., Guillaume, J. H. A., de Moel, H., Eisner, S., Flörke, M., Porkka, M., ... & Ward, P. J. (2016). The world's road to water scarcity: shortage and stress in the 20th century and pathways towards sustainability. Scientific Reports , 6(3) .
