The majority of the houses in the district are mud-made. The towns Dhadar, Mach and Bhag have 20 to 25 % cemented and baked brick-houses. In the rural areas 85 to 90 percent of the houses are "kacha" without any concrete designing and technology involved. The walls can be partly built with baked bricks, but the surrounding walls, roof topping and interior are topped with mud or clay. An average house has two to three rooms surrounded by a gallery. Some houses have a barn attached. Flush cisterns, commodes and washing basins hardly exist in rural houses. The toilet is located in the outer corner of the house. Houses lack an appropriate system for drainage, disposal of human waste and sewerage.

Eighty five to ninety percent of the houses in the district are privately owned. The ratio of rented and government-run houses and quarters is slightly higher in urban areas, but it does not exceed 7 to 10 percent of the overall number of houses. House ownership is inherited from father to son or daughter. Space and houses are easily obtainable in the rural area.

In rural areas, the majority of houses are traditionally designed with dried clay bricks. They may include red (baked) bricks, but topping and roofing is of clay. Doors, windows, and ventilators are made of wood. The use of cement, iron and tiles is rare in rural house construction. The houses in urban areas in majority are made of baked bricks. The use of steel and iron grill is common in newly constructed houses in the towns. The use of mortar is maximum in floor boards. The joints are made of wood.

In the area where electricity and gas reaches, they are the sources of energy for cooking and heating. The houses in the area without electricity and gas rely on kerosene, oil and wood for cooking and heating. Some may use a diesel run generator (usually one to two horse power). The use of kerosene and gas lamps is common in rural areas without electricity. The use of dung-cake for fuel purposes is common in rural areas and even in towns too.

The houses are knit together in rural areas. However, urban areas such as Mach, Dhadar and Bhag resemble rural areas. A house usually consists of a kitchen, a bath-room and a toilet. The kitchen is usually an open room with only a roof shelter. Because of the extreme summer weather, most part of the year cooking is done outside the kitchen. The newly constructed houses in towns have a separate bath-room and kitchen.

Seventy-five percent of the houses in the district is without drainage, human waste disposal facilities and sewerage system. They do not have in-house water supply. Water is fetched from a nearby water tank, stream or stored water in an open pond.

A number of old buildings in Bolan district are beautiful models of old days architecture. They include premises of the Khan of Kalat at Dhadar. In Lehri a number of old style buildings exit. In Mach there are a large number of solidly constructed railways houses, built during the British period.

The rural areas lack sanitation. Drinking water and sanitation are two major problems in the district. Water is scarce and the sanitation system in rural and even urban areas is below basic level. Human waste disposal facilities and latrines are not common.

Back to Bolan