Q:

Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior
that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what
should be improved?

IE GXMBA Application

By
Muhammad Ali
Regional Sales Manager
Orient Energy Systems (Pvt.) Ltd
Islamabad, Pakistan.
 District/ Town Profile
 Charsadda is one of the 26 districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of
Pakistan. KPK is the North-western province of Pakistan. Together with Sindh, Punjab,
Baluchistan, Gilgit- Baltistan, Islamabad Capital Territory and AJK region it forms the
Federation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
 Charsadda is located about 30 kms from Peshawar-the provincial capital of KPK
 Population according to the latest national population census carried out in 2017 is
1,616,198 (1) with 18.9 % identified as Urban population (4)
 The district is divided into 3 sub units (Tehsils) and 46 Union Councils.
 The inhabitants of Charsadda are from the Pashtun ethnic group which resides on both
sides of the Durand line (the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan)
 The local language of the area is Pashto. Urdu being the national language of Pakistan
is also used and understood.
KPK Districts
Geographic map of District Charsadda and its 46 Union Councils
History
 Charsadda was the capital of Gandhara civilization from 6th century BCE until 1st Century
AD. Back then it was called Pushklavati ( Sanskrit term meaning Lotus City). (2.)
 During the gandhara period the area was ruled by Achaemenids (~600-400 BCE),Greeks
(~326-324 BCE), Mauryans (~324-185 BCE), Indo-Greeks (~250-190 BCE), Scythians (~2nd
century to 1st century BCE),Parthians (~1st century BC to 1st century CE), Kushans (~1st to
5th century CE),White Huns (~5th century CE),Hindu Shahi (~9th to 10th century CE) (3).
The inhabitants of the region were mostly Buddhists. Ancient ruins (Stupas) from that period
are still visible in places like Hisar Dheri, Bala Hisar, Sar-Dheri etc.
 Later after the conquest of the region by predominantly Turkic Muslim conquerors after the
tenth century CE, the name of the region changed to Hasht-Nagar (Persian term meaning
eight villages). The people of the region converted from Buddhism to Islam.
 After the conquest of India by the British in 19th Century the name changed to Charsadda
 History

Female spouted Mother Goddess (fertility Hisar Dheri Mounds, Charsadda

figure, terracotta, divinity), possibly derived
Charsadda, from the Indus Valley
Gandhara, 3rd to Civilization, terracotta, Sar
1st century Dheri, Gandhara, 1st
BC Victoria and century BC, Victoria and
Albert Museum Albert Museum
Lifestyle in perspective of UN SDGs
 37.53 % of population lives below the poverty line (1.25 $/day)
 The prime social safety net BISP (Benazir Income Support Program)
managed by the Govt of Pakistan covers 29% of the district’s population.
(5)
 84% of population live in houses they own, with 47% being mud brick homes
lacking sanitation and electricity in some cases. (6)

People lining up outside the ATM

Machine to receive cash hand-outs
Through their BISP cards. A typical monthly
Handout per households is equal to 30 $
 According to UNDP Survey conducted across KPK region, the proportion of
underweight Children under 5 years of age is 37% in Charsadda.
 The above indicator is especially alarming when we consider the fact that
Charsadda has the most fertile and productive land in the country.
 Total land available for agriculture is 98,641 Hectares out of which 74.45% is
cultivated(7)
 38.1% of farmers of the district cultivate farmland under 1 Acre and are
classified as small farmers(7)
 The major crops cultivated in the district are wheat( 1.4 ton/ Acre), sugarcane
(17.4 ton/acre), corn(1.02 ton/acre) and tobacco.(7)
 Taking into consideration the price of different crops it can be concluded that
the average income of small farmers from their crop is around 0.85~1 $/ day
 Sugar Cane is the most important
Cash Crop of Charsadda

Brown-Sugar manufacturing “Factory” its

called Ganrai in Pashto which means
“The mill”- The factory consists of a crusher
Which crushes the cane, the juices the flow
into a HUGE pan which is heated by burning
Dried cane leaves and dried cane pulp.
The end product is lumps of brown sugar which
Is cooled off and stored in sacks of 40-50 kg and
sold in the local market.
 Neonatal mortality rate is 5 per thousand births (8)
 Data on maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is not available but the MMR of the nearest district
Peshawar is 310/100,000 births which is significantly higher than the national average which is
275/100,000(8)
 Proportion of births attended by Skilled persons is 59.95% out of which deliveries conducted at
primary or secondary health facilities is a mere 25.23% (8).
 Ante-natal care facilities were available to only 53.21% of pregnant women in the district.(7536
out of 14,161 i.e. an estimated 6625 pregnant women received no ANC services)
 Full immunization coverage children under 12 months of measles, polio and pentavalent
vaccines stands at 52%
 Tuberculosis prevalence is 10 per hundred thousand residents
 Prevalence of Malaria (MP) is 1 per 2000 residents
 Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) prevalence is 3 per 100,000 residents.
 Estimated 12% of medical mortality is from disease related to un safe water/ sanitation
 The Govt health structure comprises of 44 Basic Health Units (BHUs), 3 Hospitals and 11
Dispensaries
 According to latest Social Audit Committee report only 33%(40) of the vacancies out of total 120
allocated to the District Headquarter Hospital(DHQ) are occupied while 67% are vacant.
 Literacy rate among the general population is 43%.(9)
 The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) for children at primary level age 6-10 is
60%.(6)
 NER at Middle, Secondary and higher secondary level age 10-14 is 31% (10)
 Out of the 968 Govt. Primary Schools 138 (14%)do not have running water,
286 (30%) have no electricity and 50 have no toilet.(11)
 For the total 149,507 students enrolled in govt. primary schools there are
3775 working teachers ( 1 teacher for every 40 students)(12,13)
 The society of Charsadda is very conservative and Islamic. While Islam promotes
empowerment of women and allows them the right to own business, inherit property,
learn, choice in making decisions regarding their marriage etc, the pashtun culture is more
radicalized and limits even the basic rights of women.
 The difference in Net enrollment ratio based on population age 10 -14 years between boys
and girls is 17% (39% boys Vs 22 % girls)
 Incidences of domestic violence against women are prevalent but almost always go un-
reported.
 The police department often underreports violence against women but in the year 2017 68
women were reportedly killed in the name of honour throughout the KPK province and
1400 women were abducted in the whole province.
 Although present govt has allocated 33% seats for women in the local government, the LG
structure in the province is un-empowered and in-effective.
 Laws guaranteeing land ownership and inheritance to women are in place, but land
ownership and inheritance rights are highly discouraged for women.
 66% of the total population has access to safe drinking water
 25% of households do not have a toilet.(6)
 Water supply systems are run by Union Councils (UCs) but due to leakages and
in some cases mixing of sewage lines with the water supply systems have made
them unsafe. That is why most households rely on ground water which is
abundantly available. However there is no concept of water treatment as it is
generally believed that ground water is safe from all contaminations.
 Research has shown high concentration of Heavy metals( Ni, Pb, Cd) and
coliform bacteria in water samples collected from bore wells, tube wells and
hand pumps (Ground Water) from different areas of the district. (15)
 Water supply in rural areas is also contaminated by NO3 and SO4. The biggest
reason being the excessive utilization of pesticides and fertilizers (15)
 Estimated 12% of medical mortality is from disease related to un safe water/
sanitation
 2 water treatment plants are present in the entire Charsadda district.
 99.7 % of households are connected to the national electricity grid
 Daily power outage averages 10-12 hours depending on the season.
 Reasons for power outages includes general energy shortage, Transmission
losses and Power Theft. Charsadda being a district with higher power losses due
to theft faces Power outages more frequently than the rest of the country.
 Due to the energy crisis that is effecting the country, the proportion of the
population using PV panels as a back up for the grid power is increasing.
However the most prevalent source of power for commercial and critical
applications is Diesel Generator.
 Government has taken some significant strides to overcome energy shortage in
the country and is looking into power generation through more sustainable
sources and to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels
 Growth rate of GDP per capita of Pakistan for 2016 was 3.6%
 Charsadda is categorized as among the districts of Pakistan with the lowest
indices of Human Development with an HDI of 0.27.
 For comparison the HDI of the capital of KPK province-Peshawar has an HDI of
0.55
 49% of employed people are associated with Agriculture followed by 17%
employed in Construction. (7)
 Proportion of youth Not in Employment, Education and Training (NEET) data for
Charsadda is not available but the NEET rate for KPK province is 31%
 The disparity between NEET rate for males and females is a staggering 47 %.
NEET rate for females stands at 55.5%.
 The availability of Commercial Bank Branches and ATM Machines is 1.5/ 100,000
population for district Charsadda.
 Road infrastructure is better, over 90% rural population has access to all weather
roads within 2 kms of their homes.
 95% of households have mobile network coverage
 Only 2.4% of all employed people are associated with Manufacturing (incl.
Labor Force) Manufacturing includes very low tech sectors.
 Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) has played a
crucial role in developing a textile weaving cluster in the district
 Under SMEDA’s supervision and funding the number of small mechanized
weaving units has increased from 230 in 2003 to 1380 units in 2017. Before
SMEDA’s intervention the weavers in the area used hand looms. (16)
 SMEDA’s intervention has generated an investment of 4.5 MUSD and has
resulted in the creation of 3600 jobs. (16)
 The biggest local industry is making brown sugar from sugar cane.
 Although Average Income per day for bottom 40% of population is not
available for Charsadda, it is going to be significantly lower than the
national average of 2.44 $/day.(17)
 80% of households live below the National Median Household income (18)
 Gender based discrimination is prevalent in the society. There is
discrimination in Education, Employment, Social Status, Inheritance and
Land Ownership etc.
 47% population lives in Mud-brick homes, 25 % households don’t have a
toilet, sanitation infrastructure is either very basic or non existent in many
rural areas.
 Public transport infrastructure is neither efficient nor very efficient. Public
transport mostly occurs through buses, Vans or Autorickshaws/ tuk-tuks.
There is no railroad infrastructure.
 Urban planning and development institutions are very weak and generally
do not include much participants from the civil society. Although the local
govt structure has been focused on lately by the Provincial Government, it
still lacks funds and authority to focus on development.
 Charsadda district being a part of Peshawar basin is very prone to
monsoon floods. In 2010 heavy floods affected 44000 Households causing
around 1400 deaths and huge economic losses to the ditrict. (18)
 Charsadda district being a part of Peshawar basin is very prone to
monsoon floods. In 2010 heavy floods affected 44000 Households causing
around 1400 deaths and huge economic losses to the district. (18)
 The natural response to such catastrophes in Pakistan is either formation of
another department or the printing of a new plan and in his case the govt
has formed the “District Charsadda DRM Plan”(19)
 The document- in its pages which are not blank, lays the onus of disaster
management on the weak and ill prepared local government and the Non
Government Organization the ICRC(20)
 None of the methods of over coming and combating climate change such
as mitigation, adaptation and early warning have been integrated into the
curriculum to raise awareness about floods
 There is no land classified as forest area in the whole district.
 The river swat and river Kabul and their tributaries traverse the charsadda
basin and sustain not only the agriculture of the region but also a rich eco
system full of bio diversity.
 Unfortunately there is no initiative of any significance from govt or the
NGOs to preserve the bio diversity which is at risk from pollution, erosion,
illegal encroachment and local tourism industry which is not concerned
about the environment.
 Summary

 Charsadda presents the profile of a typical semi- rural

district of the developing south Asia. We as the
inhabitants are stuck between the inertia of our lifestyle
and the need to adapt to new models of development
necessary to survive and thrive in the modern age.
 What Needs Improvement?
 First and foremost is EDUCATION.
The basic education system
especially the govt. run schools
need reform to reduce the drop
out ratio. Curriculum should be
reformed to include subjects
which cover sustainable
development goals. Special
attention needs to be focused on
women's education. Empowering
women will not be possible with
the current female literacy rate of
under 30%. Vocational training
also needs focus as it can greatly
help with accomplishing goals
number 8 and 9.
 What Needs Improvement?

 Local Government Structure needs

to be reformed and empowered.
An efficient and empowered LG
system with sufficient
representation of women and
people from all sections of the
society is necessary for the
implementation of all SDGs.
 What Needs Improvement?

 Since more than half of the

population of the district is directly
dependent on Agriculture for their
livelihood, sustainable agricultural
entrepreneurship is necessary for
sustainable development of the
area. Agriculture needs to be
more efficient and agricultural
products need value addition.
Goal number 1,2,3,8,9,10,11, and
12 cannot be significantly
achieved unless agriculture is
modernized.
 What Needs Improvement?

 Reforming the health sector should

be among the priorities and it
should start with improving the
existing infrastructure that is
available instead of mask
measures such as constructing
new buildings lacking the staff and
facilities required for providing
healthcare. Opportunities for
public-private partnership should
also be explored to take full
advantage of the existing
healthcare systems.
References
1. http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/DISTRICT_WISE_CENSUS_RESULTS_CENSUS_2017.pdf

2. https://www.kparchaeology.com/front_cms/museum/museum_info/34

3. https://www.ancient.eu/Gandhara_Civilization/

4. http://bisp.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Poverty-Profile-1.pdf

5. http://bisp.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/BISP-Demographic-Directory.pdf

6. PSLM_2014-15_National_Provincial-District_Report by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

7. http://kpbos.gov.pk/files/1399368724.pdf

8. http://www.dhiskp.gov.pk/reports/repot2016.pdf

9. http://www.kpese.gov.pk/Downloads/Education%20Sector%20Plan.pdf

10. http://www.kpese.gov.pk/Downloads/School%20Statistics/NER%2010%20to%2014%20years.pdf

11. http://www.kpese.gov.pk/Downloads/School%20Statistics/Basic%20facilities%20Primary%20Schools.pdf

12. http://www.kpese.gov.pk/Downloads/School%20Statistics/Primary%20Schools%20enrollment.pdf

13. http://www.kpese.gov.pk/Downloads/School%20Statistics/Teaching%20staff%20Primary%20Schools.pdf

14. http://www.kpese.gov.pk/SchoolStatistics.html

15. https://www.waterinfo.net.pk/sites/default/files/knowledge/Drinking%20Water%20Quality%20and%20Human%20Health%20Risk%20in%20Charsadda%20District%2C%20Pakistan.pdf

16. https://www.aptma.org.pk/news%20clippings/News%20Clippings%2028-08-2017.pdf

17. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.SPR.PC40?end=2013&locations=PK&start=2013&view=map

18. https://tribune.com.pk/story/37175/death-stalks-flood-ravaged-charsadda/

19. http://www.ndma.gov.pk/plans.php

20. www.ndma.gov.pk/plans/District%20DRM%20Plan%20Charsada.pdf