KNP Social Anthropology Survey
INTRODUCTION

The human population of Khirthar National Park varies according to long term trends in rainfall, but census figures indicate 60,000 to 100,000 people live in the Park at any one time. The Social Anthropology Team was fortunate to visit many of the Park's hamlets and villages, in order to learn from inhabitants how they organized their lives in the region's extraordinary harsh environment.

The Park's barren slopes and inhospitable mountain ranges mean inhabitants cluster in the valleys, where the water table is accessible enough to provide drinking water and irrigate crops. A few, more fortunate, villages irrigate their fields with water from springs, although some of the Park's larger landlords control both spring and land in particular areas.

The severity of the recent drought, however, has meant that many villagers have migrated temporarily outside the Park to find work, as their wells have either become dry or brackish. Indeed, water tests reveal that the quality of much of the Park's water is below the World Health Organization's criteria for safe drinking water.

Living conditions of many of the Park's inhabitants are very difficult, as not all villagers own sufficient irrigable land to make a true living wage. A variety of share-cropping arrangements organize the production of food in the Park. Some farmers work their own land, while labouring for a portion of the crop (or its proceeds) on someone else's land. Some farmers work on the land of relatives, friends or larger landowners. In return for water, many other farmers give a proportion of the crop to the well-owner. Men and women work in the fields, and in the harvest season children often work alongside their parents.

The vast majority of the Park's inhabitants are Muslim, though a sizeable Hindu population lives in some of its bigger towns. A number of shrines of Islamic holy men are found thoughout the Park and are visited by many of the Park's inhabitants. Many school and dispensary buildings have been built by the government but a lack of trained personnel means that the majority are not operating. Consequently, literacy and education levels are not high, especially for girls.

The closeness of the Park to Karachi means that, with good planning, the government might well be able to increase the level of services provided to the people of the Park.