Kanraj Tehsil

Kanraj
Brahui: کنراج
Kanrach
Tehsil of Lasbela District
Kanraj Waterfall
Kanraj Waterfall
Kanraj is located in Balochistan, Pakistan
Kanraj
Kanraj
Location within Balochistan, Pakistan
Kanraj is located in Pakistan
Kanraj
Kanraj
Location within Pakistan
Coordinates: 26°14′36″N 66°48′9″E / 26.24333°N 66.80250°E / 26.24333; 66.80250
Country Pakistan
ProvinceBalochistan
DistrictLasbela District
HeadquartersKanraj
Area
1,190 km2 (460 sq mi)
Elevation
[1]
676 m (2,218 ft)
Population
 (2023)[2]
15,996
 • Density13.44/km2 (34.8/sq mi)
 • Rural
15,996 (100%)
Literacy
[3]
 • Literacy rate
  • Total:
    (20.32%)
  • Male:
    (30.80%)
  • Female:
    (8.93%)
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Number of Union Councils1
Main languages7,235 Brahui, 4,690 Sindhi, 4,055 Balochi[4]

Kanraj, also spelled Kanrach, (Brahui: کنراج, [ˈkanraːdʒ]) is a tehsil in Lasbela District, in the southeastern part of Balochistan, Pakistan. According to the 2023 national census, the tehsil has a population of 15,996, dispersed across 88 rural settlements.[5] Administratively, Kanraj comprises one Union Council, with the town of Kanraj serving as its administrative centre.

The tehsil holds deposits of zinc and lead, extracted at the Duddar mine.[6]

Geography

Kanraj spans an area of approximately 1,190 square kilometres. It borders the tehsils of Aranji and Saroona in Khuzdar District to the north and east, and Uthal and Bela Tehsil to the south and west. The landscape is predominantly arid and rugged, consisting of hilly terrain and seasonal riverbeds. A key natural feature is the Kanraj River, which supports limited agriculture and local biodiversity.

Climate

The tehsil experiences an arid climate (Köppen classification: BWh).[1] During summer, particularly from April to July, average temperatures range between 25 °C (77 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F), with extreme highs reaching up to 51 °C (124 °F).[7] Winters are short and mild, with average daytime temperatures around 16 °C (61 °F), and nighttime lows occasionally dropping to 0 °C (32 °F). Annual rainfall is scarce, typically between 5.0 millimetres (0.20 in) and 254 millimetres (10.0 in), concentrated during the July–September monsoon season.[7] Vegetation is xerophytic, consisting of drought-resistant shrubs, scattered trees, and seasonal ground cover adapted to arid conditions.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
19612,394—    
19724,477+5.86%
19816,287+3.84%
19988,116+1.51%
201712,389+2.25%
202315,996+4.35%
Sources:[8][2]

According to the 2023 census, the tehsil had a population of 15,996 living in 2,722 households, all in rural areas.[9] The overall literacy rate stands at 20.32%, with a gap between 30.80% for males and 8.93% for females.[3]

Languages

Languages of Kanraj Tehsil (2023)
  1. Brahui (45.2%)
  2. Sindhi (29.3%)
  3. Balochi (25.4%)

In Kanraj Tehsil, Brahui is the predominant language, spoken by approximately 7,235 people (45.23% of the population). Other languages include Sindhi (4,690 speakers, 29.32%) and Balochi (4,055 speakers, 25.35%), with the remaining population speaking other languages.[4] The Sindhi reported in this context largely refers to Lasi, a distinct local dialect of Sindhi also spoken in the coastal districts of Balochistan.[10]

Economy

The Duddar zinc and lead mine, near the town of Kanraj, is described by Dawn as the country's first major underground metal mining project.[6] Since 2014 it has been operated by MCC Huaye Duddar Mining Company, a joint venture involving the state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation.[6][11] The mine reached an annual production capacity of approximately 500,000 tonnes in 2019, and holds estimated reserves of 50 million tonnes of ore.[6][11] It employs a largely local workforce, though reporting by The China Project has raised concerns about working conditions, low wages, and limited local development.[11] Despite infrastructure improvements such as expanded road access, Kanraj remains among the less-developed tehsils in the district, with limited access to healthcare and education.[11]

2022 floods

The 2022 floods in Balochistan caused significant damage in Kanraj Tehsil specifically, including damage to homes and the destruction of standing cotton and other crops.[12] The floods caused wider loss of life and infrastructure damage across Lasbela District and Balochistan more broadly.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kanraj". en.db-city.com. DB-City. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Table 1: Area, Population by Sex, Sex Ratio, Population Density, Urban Population, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate, Balochistan" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Table 12 - Literacy Rate, Enrolment and Out of School Population by Sex and Rural/Urban, Census 2023" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Table 11: Population by Mother Tongue, Gender, and Rural/Urban Residence (Census 2023)" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  5. ↑ "Balochistan Mouza Census 2020" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2020. p. 64. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Notezai, Muhammad Akbar (20 January 2020). "Making sense of Duddar lead-zinc mining project". dawn.com. Dawn. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  7. 1 2 Khan, Saifullah; Shahab, Surriya; Fani, Muhammad Ishaque; Wahid, Abdul; Hasan, Mahmood-Ul-; Khan, Aslam (2021). "Climate and Weather Condition of Balochistan Province, Pakistan". International Journal of Economic and Environmental Geology. 12 (2): 65–71. doi:10.46660/ijeeg.v12i2.104. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  8. ↑ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  9. ↑ "Table 24: Housing Characteristics, Facilities of Toilet and Washroom Used by Households, Rural/Urban: Census 2023" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  10. ↑ Rasheed, Abdul; Ali, Zahid; Khan, Khursheed Ahmed (19 June 2023). "A Morphosyntactic Analysis of Suffixation in Lasi and Sindhi". Pakistan Journal of Society, Education and Language. 9 (2): 334–346. ISSN 2523-1227. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Fazl-e-Haider, Syed (16 March 2023). "Inside China's lead and zinc mine in Balochistan, Pakistan". thechinaproject.com. The China Project. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  12. ↑ Shahid, Saleem (17 July 2022). "10 districts of Balochistan declared as 'calamity-hit'". dawn.com. Dawn. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  13. ↑ Saleem, Shahid; Raza, Syed Irfan (29 July 2022). "Balochistan loses 13 more lives to rain". dawn.com. Dawn. Retrieved 5 June 2025.

Notes

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