Directions: Read the passage and answer the question on the basis of the information provided in it. If the present trend in increase of population, urbanisation and industrialisation continues then…

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question on the basis of the information provided in it.

If the present trend in increase of population, urbanisation and industrialisation continues then the world in the year 2050 AD will be more crowded and more polluted than what it is at the moment. According to conservative estimates by 2050 AD population will increase to 9.7 billion to make the situation worst, for the poor countries, 90 percent of the increase in population will be in the poor countries. It will widen the gap between the rich and the poor countries. Due to tremendous increase in the population more areas will be used for dwelling which may lead to reduction in the area under cultivation. So any increase in the agriculture production will not be due to increase in the area under cultivation but by advancement in the agricultural technology.
With such great pressure on land for habitation unhygienic particularly in big cities as the civic authorities may not be able to cope up with the problem. Increased demand for consumer goods will not only gear up production of the existing industries but also demand setting up for more industries. This will lead to greater pollution than even before. Scarcity of water in urban centres and in the industrial town will be another problem of the future. If the present trend continues then hundreds of millions of people will have to sleep without having a meal.

According to the passage, the world population in 2050 AD has been estimated as