Almost the entire rural population lives in houses they own themselves. In 1990, this category accounted for 98 percent of total farm households, according to the Census of Agriculture of 1990. The rest of the farm households lived in "rented / other houses". This category consists chiefly of rent free houses provided by land owners to their tenants and of the houses of near relations of occupiers. The 1990 Census of Agriculture data holds valid also for the current situation, as no material change in tenure pattern in rural areas is reported in the post 1990 period.

In urban areas too, the majority of households live in their own houses. The non-agricultural households covered by the 1990 Census of Agriculture, serve as a good proxy. Some 61 percent of this class of households lived in their own houses in 1990, and the 1995 situation is not likely to be much different.

Most of the houses are "kacha" i.e.; made of mud. As indicated by the 1990 census of agriculture and visits to different parts of the district for preparation of this District Profile, about 90 percent of the rural houses and 60 - 65 percent of the urban houses are kacha.

Cooking: In Sibi town, gas is the principal source of energy for cooking, while in the rest of the district firewood and brushwood are used.

Lighting: Electricity is the chief source of lighting in Sibi town and Harnai town and the rural areas within ten miles radius of these towns. Around fifty percent of the district's population uses electricity for lighting. In Sibi town, gas lamps are also used when electricity is off. In other places, where electricity and gas lamps are not available, lanterns are used for lighting.

Houses are mostly kacha, as discussed before. The average size of a house in rural areas is 800 square metres. Most houses have one big room of rectangular shape, with partitions. All houses have large front and back courtyards. All houses have a guest room outside. The kitchen is mostly an open space in the house, known as "bhabi", with a thatched roof only.

Clean drinking water is available to nearly 40 percent of the population. A small number of houses have piped water connections inside. Where there are no water supply schemes of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), people use hand pumps, wells, streams and ponds. In many places men and animals drink from the same source.

In rural areas, pit-latrines are built inside the house for women and children. Men use the fields. In urban centres, most houses have a flush system. The old type latrines are also in use in urban centres.

For disposal of waste water, proper drains exist in Sibi town and Harnai town. In rural areas, drainage systems are non-existent. People have built pits outside their houses to dump waste water.

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