Field work for this research was carried out in three districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Nowshera, Buner and Lower Dir. The following section briefly profiles the three districts:
4.2.1 Nowshera
Nowshera lies in north-central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Peshawar District. According to the latest census, held in 1998, the district’s population was about 874,000; it had a population density of 704 persons per square kilometre; and it was about 26% urbanised. Pro- jections place Nowshera’s population at approximately 1.3 million in 2013 and observation suggests that the proportion of the population living in urban areas has increased significantly in the past 15 years.
The SDPI study on district poverty rankings rated Nowshera among the more prosperous districts of Pakistan, with poverty incidence or poverty headcount ratio of 18%.10 The incidence of severe poverty in the district was estimated at 8%. However, the ranking by
vulnerability placed Nowshera among the top 30 most vulnerable districts, where vulnerability is assessed for households that do not fall below the poverty line, but show significant deprivation in key assets and capabili- ties. Table 4.1 summarises some of the key develop- ment indicators for Nowshera.
Table 4.1
Development Indicators for Nowshera
Indicator 2008-09 2010-11 Primary school net
enrolment ratio*
65% (female 57%)
63% (female 59%) Population with primary
or higher education
44% (female 28%)
42% (female 26%) Literacy rate for
children aged 10 and above 53% (female 35%) 51% (female 33%) Fully immunised children aged 12-23 months** 89% (female 79%) 75% (female 75%) Pregnant women
who had prenatal consultation
80% (rural 83%) 60% (rural 55%)
Population with access to improved sources of water*** 77% (rural 79%) 69% (rural 65%) Households with no access to sanitation 6% (rural 6%) 4% (rural 4%)
Source: Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey, 2008-09 and 2010-11.
* Proportion of primary school age children (5-9 years)
actually enrolled in primary schools.
** Immunisation rates are for recall and record.
*** Improved water sources include tap water, and motor
and hand pumps.
As Table 4.1 shows, many socioeconomic indicators of Nowshera deteriorated between 2008-09 and 2010-11. The district, nevertheless, fared better on most indica- tors than the provincial average. The primary school NER was relatively high in the district compared with the province as a whole, though a deterioration of 2 per- centage points was recorded over the period in ques- tion. A positive trend was that female primary school NER increased by 2 percentage points over this period. Although Nowshera’s literacy rates were on a par with the average for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, its health in- dicators were not. The immunisation rates fell by 14
percentage points between 2008-09 and 2010-11, and were less than the provincial average. The prenatal consultation rates were higher than the provincial av- erage, but significantly deteriorated over this period. A similar deterioration was evident in the percentage of households with access to improved sources of water; though in this case, the figures for Nowshera were close to the provincial average.
Nowshera’s health, water supply and sanitation indica- tors are generally on a par with that of Khyber Pakh- tunkhwa, while its education indicators are better than most other districts of the province. The central loca- tion of the district, its ease of accessibility and its prox- imity to the urban facilities of Peshawar City should have, however, translated into more favourable devel- opment outcomes. These may not have come about be- cause of the general insecurity and disorder that have gripped Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the last decade.
4.2.2 Buner
Buner, historically part of Malakand Division, is a mountainous area with the population scattered across
Table 4.2
Development Indicators for Buner
Indicator 2008-09 2010-11 Primary school net
enrolment ratio*
58% (female 49%)
57% (female 47%) Population with primary or
higher education
44% (female 28%)
42% (female 26%) Literacy rate for children
aged 10 and above
37% (female 13%)
32% (female 14%) Fully immunised children
aged 12-23 months**
89% (female 79%)
75% (female 75%) Pregnant women who had
prenatal consultation
45% (rural 45%) 41% (rural 41%) Population with access
to improved sources of water*** 69% (rural 69%) 62% (rural 62%) Households with no access to sanitation 20% (rural 20%) 30% (rural 30%)
Source: Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey, 2008-09 and 2010-11.
* Proportion of primary school age children (5-9 years)
actually enrolled in primary schools.
** Immunisation rates are for recall and record.
*** Improved water sources include tap water, and motor
and hand pumps.
small valleys. The district was one of the sites of conflict in 2008-09, when militant factions overran Malakand and a military offensive was launched to dislodge them. According to the 1998 census, Buner’s population was just over 500,000; it had a population density of 427 persons per square kilometre; and it was 100% ru- ral. Projections place the district’s population at over 850,000 in 2013.
The SDPI study on district poverty rankings estimated that the poverty incidence or poverty headcount ratio in Buner was 50% or that half of the district’s popu- lation was poor.11 The incidence of severe poverty in Buner was also estimated to be high at 27%; while 16% of the district’s population was classified as vulnerable. Table 4.2 summarises some key indicators for Buner. As Table 4.2 shows, the education indicators for Buner – all of which deteriorated – significantly fell short of the provincial average between 2008-09 and 2010-11. The gender gap is particularly apparent in the case of literacy rate and proportion of population with primary or higher education. Only 14% of the females aged 10 and above in the district were literate in 2010-11; while less than 30% of the female population had primary or higher education.
Buner’s health indicators fared slightly better, but still not on a par with the provincial averages. Once again, the deterioration in most indicators between 2008-09 and 2010-11 is alarming. The immunisation rates fell by 20 percentage points over this period; though, inter- estingly, the deterioration was less profound for girls than boys. Access to improved sources of water was the only indicator for the district that was relatively close to the provincial average.
4.2.3 Lower Dir
Lower Dir is one of the three districts of Khyber Pak- htunkhwa that borders Afghanistan to the west. The district was part of what was formerly a princely state and was subsequently considered a part of Malakand Division. Like Buner, Lower Dir too was a site of unrest during the 2009 Malakand insurgency. More recently, it has suffered a series of attacks on security forces from across the Afghan border. According to the 1998 cen- sus, Buner’s population was just over 717,000; it had a population density of 679 persons per square kilome- tre; and it was only 6.2% urbanised. Projections place the district’s population at about 1.1 million in 2013.
The SDPI study on district poverty rankings estimated the poverty incidence or poverty headcount ratio in Lower Dir to be 33%.12 The incidence of severe poverty in the district was estimated to be 15% and the same percentage of the population was classified as vulner- able. As Table 4.3 shows, Lower Dir’s socioeconomic indicators lag behind those of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a whole.
Table 4.3
Development Indicators for Lower Dir
Indicator 2008-09 2010-11 Primary school net
enrolment ratio* 40% (female 37%) 48% (female 50%) Population with primary or higher education 39% (female 20%) 41% (female 23%)
Literacy rate for children aged 10 and above 52% (female 30%) 53% (female 33%) Fully immunised children aged 12-23 months** 85% (female 84%) 88% (female 88%) Pregnant women who had prenatal consultation 47% (rural 44%) 48% (rural 47%) Population with access to improved sources of water*** 61% (rural 59%) 66% (rural 65%) Households with no access to sanitation 15% (rural 6%) 6% (rural 6%)
Source: Pakistan Social and Living Standards
Measurement Survey, 2008-09 and 2010-11.
* Proportion of primary school age children (5-9 years)
actually enrolled in primary schools.
** Immunisation rates are for recall and record.
*** Improved water sources include tap water, and motor
and hand pumps.
Lower Dir was one of the few districts in Khyber Pak- htunkhwa where most socioeconomic indicators im- proved between 2008-09 and 2010-11, so much so that in some cases it caught up with the provincial averages. Though the NERs in the district were slightly below those of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a whole, the literacy rate exceeded the provincial average. The immunisa- tion rates in Lower Dir were 11 percentage points high- er than the provincial average in 2010-11 and were the
highest among the three Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts being analysed in this report.
Almost half (48%) of the pregnant women in the dis- trict had prenatal consultations, compared with 52% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a whole. Similarly, 66% of the population had access to improved sources of water in 2010-11; once again, only 4 percentage points lower than the provincial average.