The census of 1981 of Kachhi district has no separate description of housing units for the sub-divisions. However, according to the census, 58 percent of the houses had one single room and 28 percent had two rooms. The average number of people is 7 persons per housing unit and 4 per room. However, with the passage of time the family has transformed from a joint family to a nucleus family and have become more prosperous. Therefore, the population of the area has become conscious about privacy. Hence the trend to have two or more rooms in a house is increasing.

Again proper and exact figures pertaining to the tenure system are not available. According to the 1981 census of the former Kachhi district, 86 percent of housing units was privately owned, 3 percent was rented and 11 percent was rent free. Discussions with local people indicate that the percentages have remained more or less the same. Almost all people have their own houses. Only in towns like Gandawah and Jhall Magsi some government servants live in rented houses. In smaller villages government servants are offered rent free housing in accordance with the social custom of the area.

At least three quarters of the houses are made of unbaked bricks and mud in the outer walls. Houses are made of trunks and leaves of date trees and some other kinds of trees to cover the roofs. But this trend is changing fast, due to various reasons, including employment in big cities and the movement of the local population to adjacent areas in Sindh. Therefore, one finds a notable change in construction material being used at present for the building of the houses. About 20 percent of the modern houses have roofs made of girders/beams and kiln bricks. One can also see RCC constructions in the area, but this construction type is limited to government buildings or houses of rich individuals. As the soil is saline free, even houses made of unbaked bricks can be used for centuries.

The electricity in the district is supplied by WAPDA. According to their information the district has three grid stations with totally 16 villages electrified. These villages are adjacent to towns like Gandawah, Jhall Magsi and Kot Magsi. About 15 percent of the total population has actual access to electricity. The remaining population uses kerosene lamps in their houses. These lamps are of different kinds and some of them are considered to be bad for one’s health. As far as energy for cooking is concerned, people usually use dung-cake or wood. According to the Kachhi census report 1981, 88 percent of the households used wood and 9 percent used dung-cake. However, according to the social leader of the area, currently the majority of the households uses dung- cake, which is easily available in every village house. The gathering and preparation of dung-cake is done by women and children. Wood is collected by men and boys.

Sui Gas is only available in Jhall Magsi and Gandawah where gas cylinders are used a trend which is increasing.

The 1981 census report of Kachhi district is silent about the characteristics of the rural areas. However, after visiting the area one comes to the conclusion that the majority of the houses has two rooms. Only houses in towns or big villages have a kitchen. Similarly, in smaller villages people do not have a latrine; they prefer to go outside the house. As far as the towns and major villages are concerned, every house unit has latrine and bathroom facilities. In other villages the available water sources, like a pond (talao) or a stream (wahi) are used for bathing purposes.

Different sources are being used in the district for the purpose of drinking water. There are only forty-five tube-wells, four piped schemes and eighteen hand pumps. According to the information supplied by the Water and Sanitation Section of the Local Government and Rural Development Department (LGRDD), only 9,500 persons, i.e. 9 percent of the total population, benefit from piped schemes. The rest of the population uses traditional sources for drinking water. They fetch water from the available water source, which may be a pond or stream, on donkeys, camels or bullock carts (Bail Gadi). If the water source is near the house, then it is the duty of the women and children to bring the required quantity of the water. If the water source is at a distance, then it is the duty of the men.

The eastern part of the district, which depends on flood or rain water, faces difficulties in this respect, especially from March to June before the start of the monsoon season (Sawan).

As far as sanitation in the area is concerned, it is totally based on traditional facilities. Recently the (LGRDD) , has started a sanitation programme in towns, introducing flush systems. However, the programme is limited to a few hundred houses.

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