Despite adequate funding, access to sanitation, water and education remain elusive for much of rural population
KARACHI:
A recently conducted government-commissioned survey has revealed that Punjab has better education and health facilities compared to other provinces, while Sindh and Balochistan remain the most underdeveloped province in this regard.
These figures come from the Household Integrated Economic Survey 2024-25, conducted by the federal institution, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The survey is carried out every five years; however, this was the first time a digital survey was conducted.
According to the survey data, the overall literacy rate among people aged ten years and above in Pakistan is 63 per cent. Punjab has a literacy rate of 68 per cent, while Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) each have a rate of 58 per cent. Meanwhile, Balochistan has the lowest literacy rate at 49 per cent.
Similarly, the number of out-of-school children aged five to sixteen is highest in Balochistan. According to the survey, 45 per cent of children in Balochistan are out of school, compared to 39 per cent in Sindh, 28 per cent in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and only 21 per cent in Punjab. The survey showed that the rate of childhood immunisation was higher in Punjab than in other provinces. In Punjab, 79 per cent of children received complete vaccinations after birth, while the proportion stood at 66 per cent in Sindh, 69 per cent in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), and 54 per cent in Balochistan.
According to the survey, the overall neonatal mortality rate in the country is 35 per cent, while the infant mortality rate is 47 per cent. A larger proportion of these deaths occur in rural areas, where the rate is 50 per cent, compared to 42 per cent in urban areas. The survey does not provide province-wise details for this category.
Surprisingly, Sindh has the highest number of households without toilet facilities. Survey data showed that 14 per cent of households in Sindh lack toilet facilities, compared to 12 per cent in Balochistan, while only five per cent of households in both Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) lack such facilities. Sindh is also the only province where a higher proportion of rural residents still rely on hand pumps for drinking water compared to other provinces.
According to the survey, 34 per cent of people in Sindh use hand pumps and 14 per cent use motor pumps. In rural Punjab, 20 per cent use hand pumps while 43 per cent use water pumps. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa shows a similar situation, where 12 per cent rely on hand pumps and 42 per cent on motor pumps. In Balochistan, 8 per cent use hand pumps and 21 per cent use motor pumps for drinking water.
Taj Mari, President of the National Party in Sindh and a former ruling party leader in Balochistan, opined that the poor condition of basic facilities in Sindh was unacceptable because, after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the provincial government received substantial resources.
“Despite this, there has been no significant improvement in health, education, and other basic needs. The main reasons are corruption and a lack of merit-based recruitment. Even today, most government departments in the province still offer jobs based on recommendations,” noted Mari. Given that Taj Mari belonged to a rural area of Sanghar district, he was asked why, according to the survey, the largest number of people in rural Sindh still obtained drinking water through hand pumps; reflecting a situation not even seen in Balochistan.
“In many areas, hand pumps are installed merely as political bribes to show that money has been spent, even when there is no real need for them. For example, in my area, underground sweet water is not available, yet many hand pumps have been installed that serve no practical purpose,” said Mari.
The Express Tribune also attempted to obtain a response from Sindh Chief Minister’s spokesperson Abdul Rasheed Channa by sending him a questionnaire via WhatsApp, but no response was received.
