Sibi district sprawls over an area of 833,128 hectares out of which only 160,000 hectares are classified as "area reported". Arable land constitutes 10 percent of the geographical area and 53 percent of the "reported area".

Source: Agricultural Statistics of Balochistan, 1994 - 95

There is discrepancy in the total geographical area (833,128 hectares) of the district reported in the Agricultural Statistics and the area reported in Population Statistics (779,600). The reasons for this discrepancy could not be ascertained. In all probability, the geographical area shown in the Agricultural Statistics is overreported. It seems to include some area of the districts, which were previously Sibi district's parts.

The area 'not reported' is a good 81 percent of the district's total area. This area is largely mountainous and inaccessible, because of which it could not be surveyed. The area ('not reported') is, however, not entirely uninhabited or barren. There are a number of small villages in the far lying mountains, where people live in small settlements as farmers and livestock owners. These areas are largely under the control of Marri Sardars, and are still detached from the district's mainstream of socio-economic development.

The district lies from 29°-19° to 30° to 36' north latitudes and 67° - 12' to 68° - 34' east longitudes. More than half of the district is mountainous. The Zarghun range separates it from Quetta district. The main valley is the Harnai valley which extends from the Chapter mountain to Spintangi. North of the Harnai valley, the highest peak is Khalifat which is 3,486 meters high. The hills of Brahvi range appear in the form of parallel ridges with narrow valleys in their midst. The plain area of Sibi district mostly falls in Sibi tehsil. No portion of the plain is higher than 150 meters above sea level".

A major part of the district is low lying and falls in the agriculture-ecological zone-I (sea to 625 m. above sea level) Part of it, the Harnai Tehsil area, lies 2,500 m. above sea level.

The district is one of the hottest areas of the (Indo-Pak) sub-continent. The average rainfall and temperature recorded at Sibi meteorological station from 1992 till 1995 are given in Table 1.2.

Source: Pakistan Meteorological Department,

Karachi reported in Development Statistics of Balochistan (1994-95) P.32

Soils are alluvial and are suitable for growing a large variety of crops, but a major part of the area is not vegetated because of low rainfall and scarcity of surface irrigation. Where water is available, wheat, jowar, fodder, fruit, vegetables, oilseeds, sugarcane, etc. are in cultivation on varying scales.

Presently only coal is extracted. There are two coal mines which in average have an annual extraction of approximately 40,000 tonnes (1990-95). Occurrences of no other mineral has been reported.

Important vegetation in the district consists of acacia, wild ash, wild berries and wild shrubs of various kinds.

In Sibi town, gas is the principal source of energy for cooking. Part of the town, and the entire rural population, depends mainly on fuel wood for cooking. Use of kerosene stoves and gas cylinders is reported, but is very scarce.

Electricity is the principal source of energy for lighting in the urban centres. The same holds true for the bulk of the rural population. The number of legal electricity connections is not a correct indicator of electricity as a source of energy. It is a common practice in the urban centres, that several households draw electricity from a single connection, and share the cost. Many households in urban area secure connections illegally. In rural areas this is done on an even wider scale.

The district is facing growing problems of green pollution, i.e. environmental degradation due to deforestation. Much of the forest area lies denuded of trees and shrubs. The threat of outright disaster in this respect has subsided to a certain extent after Sibi town was supplied with gas, but the overall situation is still unsatisfactory.

The problem of grey pollution, caused by garbage, is getting more and more serious. It is particularly acute in Sibi town, which has more than 1/4th of the district's population. The Sibi Municipality has a small number of sanitation workers and a few garbage carriers which is not considered adequate to cope with the task involved. The situation is worsening fast, also because of haphazard construction and the widely alleged inactivity of the sanitation staff.

The arable land resource base of the district is small, and due to increase in population the arable land/man ratio is getting worse with every passing year. The problem is worsened by low rainfall and limited availability of canal water, due to which much of the arable land has to be kept fallow.

Another major threat is posed by the deforestation problem. Beside economic, it has serious environmental implications. On the whole, the district's land resource base is too small, in quantitative as well as qualitative terms, to meet the challenges posed by the growing population. The major issues that need to be placed high on the development agenda are:

1. Increasing the arable land and cropping intensity.
2. Preventing deforestation and undertaking reforestation on a large scale.
3. Enlarging the off-farm employment base of the district so as to reduce pressure on the farm sector.

Back to Sibi