A Province in Peril
Balochistan is a province rich in all the natural resources a country requires to boost a lagging economy. It also happens to have an 1,100km-long coastline of immense strategic importance. Even though it bears great economic potential, unfortunately it is the most backward province in Pakistan.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province in terms of area (44% of the total land mass) but the smallest in terms of population (5% of the total population). Over two-thirds of its inhabitants reside in rural areas, whereas half of its urban population is concentrated in Quetta, Khuzdar, Turbat, Hub and Chaman. The rural area primarily consists of scattered settlements of sparse populations. The average population density of the province is 19 persons per square kilometre and varies greatly across districts.
According to the provincial government’s estimates, in 2003 the poverty level was marked at 41%, the level of rural poverty being much higher than urban poverty. If poverty is considered an index of human deprivation comprising of limited opportunities, social exclusion and vulnerability to exogenous shocks, a much larger portion of the population would fall under the poverty line. In addition to low income, poor households are characterised by low levels of education, lack of drinking water, and a dearth of health and welfare services.
Balochistan has the poorest social indicators in the country. The national literacy rate is 39.69% whereas for Balochistan, it stands at 29.81%. Less educated and less urbanised than the rest of the country, the province also has a far greater dependency ratio. While 43.3% of Pakistan’s population is below 15 years of age, the proportion for Balochistan is 49.5%. A younger population means a higher dependency ratio in terms of economic participation, and implies a larger need for educational and health facilities. The national labour force participation rate is at 30.4%; it stands at 25.69% for Balochistan. A higher gender disparity in the labour force participation suggests an even greater dependency ratio for the province. The 1998 census indicates only 23.3% of Balochistan’s population is urban, while the current national urban population is 33.4%.
Agriculture is the main source of income for the rural population. It employs 60.65% of the total labour force and accounts for more than 65% of Balochistan’s GDP. Crops provide 60% and 40% of the gross farm income and livestock, respectively. However, only a third of the land area is productive agricultural or grazing land. Tubewells are the largest source of irrigation in all the districts except Nasirabad, Jafarabad and Jhal Magsi (which are irrigated by canals). These tubewells have, however, resulted in a negative impact on the ground water table, which in many parts of the province (like Quetta, Mastung and Killa Saifullah) is decreasing by over 1.5 metres per year. Agricultural production in Balochistan is on the decline because of droughts in the recent past. It is estimated that almost 30% of livestock has been destroyed during this period. This decline has caused a significant reduction in income and food consumption.
Vital-StatisticsDevelopment of agriculture and the livestock sector is vital for the welfare of the people of province but, so far, no action has been taken by the government to improve this sector.
Minerals are a source of significant wealth for Balochistan but have not been fully exploited and contribute a neglibible 3% to the GDP. Balochistan has large reserves of natural gas and coal, but 40% of the province’s needs are still met through the use of firewood and dung cakes. An estimated 2 million tonnes of wood is burnt each year. Gas consumption in the province is low due to the limited supply of piped natural gas and liquid petroleum gas. Most of the 2 million tonnes of coal produced in the region is exported to other provinces. The industrial sector is still in the rudimentary stages and contributes around 10% of the GDP, employing 3.4% of the labour force.
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