Quetta in comparison to Balochistan.
The data and other information provided in this District Profile so far concentrated on the situation in Quetta district. It did not pay much attention to the relation to the situation in the other districts in the province or to the situation in Balochistan as a whole.
To add that perspective 32 indicators have been selected on which each of the 26 districts can be compared. These indicators, and others, can be found in the tables on the next two pages.
The comparative position of Quetta district is reflected in the diagram on the third page. The diagram is based on a bottom-up ranking of each district on every indicator. The district with position nr. 1 scores the lowest on that particular indicator, while position nr. 26 means the highest score.
An overall district ranking is not given, because that would mean attaching a certain weight to each of the indicators.
It is obvious that Quetta district has a very special position among the other districts in Balochistan. Because of the location of the provincial capital within its boundaries, the district plays a central functions in almost all spheres of life in the province. It is the hub of commercial and educational activities, while it is of course the seat of the provincial government (in addition of being the centre of the Divisional- and District government as well). This should be kept in mind while reading the following observations.
Quetta is the third smallest district (after Ziarat and Jaffarabad); it has however the highest population and consequently the highest population density as well.
With a view on the high degree of urbanisation (in 1981 about 75% of the district population lived in urban areas) and small size it is rather surprising that the district still takes a middle position with regard to the potential area available for cultivation. It scores comparatively high on fruit production (position nr. 21) and somewhat lower on value of total agricultural production (position nr. 17). The value per capita gives the district understandably a much lower position.
The number of livestock units per capita is the lowest in the province, due to the size of the population. The number of livestock units, the available pasture area and the density of livestock all put Quetta in the middle category.
The enrolment figures in primary education for boys and girls belong to the highest in the province, but the same can be said of the pupils/teacher ratios (with a higher number for boys than for girls).
The population per doctor and the population per bed are the lowest in Balochistan. But it must be remembered that the health services in Quetta draw people from far beyond the boundaries of the district; in reality the figures are less favourable. The fact that the district is comparatively urbanized becomes apparent in the relatively favourable male/female ratio among doctors and paramedical health staff. It is easier for professional females to work in urban areas instead of remote rural areas.
The position of Quetta with regard to the coverage of the population with supply of drinking water is comparatively high, although it is not the highest (position nr. 22).
The relatively small size of the district and its central position in the communication network gives Quetta a high position on the density with metalled roads (length of road per square kilometre), the highest score after Jaffarabad. The position on shingle road density is somewhat lower (nr. 23).
The selected indicators do not cover industrial and commercial activities, because more or less comparable information was not available. The position of Quetta, especially with regard to commercial services, would obviously be very high.