Population

In spite of the efforts of the Government of Balochistan to accommodate as many people as possible within the limits of the Quetta District in general and the city in particular, it appears that it is meeting with very little success. The influx of refugees from the neighboring counties that the migration of people to the city has further aggravated the problem.

            Give below are the historical population figures for the city of Quetta:-

Year                                        Population

1891                                        11,303

1901                                        13,517

1911                                        17,201

1921                                        27,220

1931                                        34,881

1941                                        37,322

1951                                        56,249

1961                                        72,493

1971                                        52,000

               1981                                      3.50,000        about 300%

From the above figures it is clear that urbanization is taking place at an accelerated pace in the District and the population increased by more then 300 percent in the decade from 1971 to 1981. The figures for the decade ending 1985 cannot be worked out for obvious reasons. However, it is expected that it will reach the half million mark soon, which would mean a big percent increase over the 1981 figure or more then 700 percent over the 1971 figure. This increase naturally has its effect on the city and according to reports not more then 40 percent of the population has access to piped water and a negligible percentage is served by sewerage. 

The corollary of the above is that in case no immediate steps are taken to remedy the situation the result would be urban squalor and chaos. At present, large scale encroachments are taking place in the city and are warning signs indicating that the city is heading towards an urban crisis.