Kalat Tehsil
Pakistani administrative area
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalat, also spelled Qalat,[a][b] is an administrative subdivision (tehsil) of Kalat District, located in central Balochistan, Pakistan. Covering approximately 3,788 square kilometres (1,463 sq mi), it is the largest tehsil in the district both in terms of area and population. According to the 2023 national census, the tehsil has a population of 167,405 residents, dispersed across 1,170 rural settlements.[2][6] The tehsil's administrative offices are located in the town of Kalat, which also serves as the district headquarters and holds significant historical importance.
Kalat
Brahui: تحصیل قلات Qalat | |
|---|---|
  Kalat  Kalat | |
| Coordinates: 29°2′2″N 66°34′41″E | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Balochistan |
| District | Kalat District |
| Headquarters | Kalat |
| Area | |
| 3,788 km2 (1,463 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 1,000–3,000 m (3,300–9,800 ft) |
| Population (2023)[2] | |
| 167,405 | |
| • Density | 44.19/km2 (114.5/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 44,440 (26.55%) |
| • Rural | 122,965 (73.45%) |
| Literacy | |
| • Literacy rate |
|
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Number of Union Councils | .. |
| Main languages | 154,741 Brahui, 10,896 Balochi[4] |
Situated at an elevation exceeding 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), the tehsil experiences a predominantly arid highland climate, with low and variable precipitation and pronounced seasonal temperature fluctuations.[1]
Geography
Kalat Tehsil covers an area of approximately 3,788 square kilometres (378,800 ha).[2] It shares borders with eight other tehsils: Kirdgap and Mangochar to the north, Johan and Gazg to the east, Zehri to the southeast, Surab to the south, and Kharan and Nushki to the west.[7]
The landscape is predominantly mountainous, with elevations ranging from 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) to over 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). The landscape is characterised by arid terrain, seasonal watercourses, and xerophytic vegetation, including Artemisia-Haloxylon shrub steppe, drought-resistant trees and seasonal ground flora adapted to the dry climatic conditions.[1]
Climate
As part of highland Balochistan, Kalat has an arid to semi arid climate, with low irregular rainfall. It is regarded as one of the coldest districts in Pakistan, with average peak temperatures reaching only around 24 °C (75 °F) in July.[5] The region is prone to frequent droughts, typically occurring every three to four years.[1] Climatically, Kalat falls within a semi-arid continental Mediterranean zone, where annual rainfall ranges from 200 millimetres (7.9 in) to over 400 millimetres (16 in). Rainfall occurs during both summer and winter, though winter precipitation is more substantial.[8] Rainfall occurs during both summer and winters, with winter precipitation rainfall, often accompanied by snow, with temperatures falling below −15 °C (5 °F).[8] One of the most severe droughts in recently occurred in 2009, when annual rainfall dropped to as little as 60 millimetres (2.4 in) to 150 millimetres (5.9 in) over five consecutive years.[1]
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | ... | — |
| 1961 | 22,185 | — |
| 1972 | 50,008 | +7.67% |
| 1981 | 59,219 | +1.90% |
| 1998 | 86,565 | +2.26% |
| 2017 | 121,458 | +1.80% |
| 2023 | 167,405 | +5.49% |
| Sources: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics:[9] | ||
According to 2023 census, Tehsils had a population of 167,405 living in 20,124 households, including 14,926 in rural and 5,198 in urban areas.[10]
The overall literacy rate stands at 44.19%, with a marked urban-rural divide: 68.49% in urban areas compared to only 35.07% in rural areas of the tehsil.[3] A significant gender gap is also evident, with male literacy at 54.36% and females literacy at just 33.51%.[3] These figures highlight persistent challenges in educational access, particularly for women and girls.
Languages
In Kalat Tehsil, Brahui is the predominant language, spoken by approximately 154,741 individual (~92.44% of the population). Other languages include Balochi (10,896 speakers, ~6.51%), with the remaining population speaking various other languages.[4]
Economy
The economy is primarily rural and relies on agriculture, livestock, and some local resources. Agriculture, as a main employer, produces wheat, barley, melons, and various fruits. Pile carpets, embroidery, leather goods, and palm bags and mats are local products.[5] It relies, outside the canal-irrigated zones, primarily on tube-wells, followed by traditional systems such as karezes and natural springs. However, the unchecked proliferation of tube-wells, both authorised and unauthorised, over the past five decades has resulted in severe over-extraction of groundwater, causing water tables to decline by more than two metres annually.[11] Consequently, groundwater resources have been critically depleted, leaving virtually no exploitable reserves. The majority of cultivated land is dedicated to dryland agriculture, which typically yields low productivity due to limited water availability. Predominant dry-farming methods include sailaba (floodwater) farming, bundat farming, ephemeral stream cultivation, and khushkaba (rain-fed) farming, all of which rely on seasonal runoff and moisture conservation techniques.[11]
The N-25 National Highway runs through the tehsil from north to south, connecting Quetta to Karachi.