Kharo Chan Tehsil, also spelled ''Kharo Chhan Tehsil'' and ''Khharochhan'' , is an administrative subdivision (

Tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

or ''taluka'') of Sujawal District in

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It is one of the five ''talukas'' that make up the district. As of 2023, Kharo Chan had a population of approximately 11,403 and covers an area of 778 square kilometres. A significant portion of the tehsil lies within the

Indus River Delta The Indus River Delta forms where the Indus River flows into the Arabian Sea, mostly in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan with a small portion in the Kutch Region of India. The delta covers an area of about , and is approximately across ...

, an ecologically vital region.

Challenges for population

In recent years, the ''taluka'' has been severely affected by extreme weather phenomena, including unprecedented

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...

. These floods have been triggered by record-breaking rainfall across the province, with floodwaters from the upper reaches of the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...

exacerbating the situation as they flowed into the province. This has led to significant challenges for the local population, particularly in terms of displacement and damage to infrastructure. The increasing salinisation of floodwater has rendered the land unsuitable for

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. The acute water shortage, through the sea water intrusion further aggravating the problem, has led to land flight. The construction of dams and barrages along the Indus River, coupled with insufficient downstream water flow, has opened the way for sea intrusion into the delta. As less freshwater reaches the coastline—largely absorbed or diverted upstream—the advancing sea has gradually engulfed entire settlements. What was once a thriving region with 42 dehs (villages) has been reduced to just three. The submergence of the remaining villages has displaced thousands, compelling many to resettle in nearby areas or migrate to

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

in search of more stable livelihoods. Since 1988, when the population stood at 26,000, the taluka has experienced till 2023 an over 56% decline, according to government census data.

Footnotes

References

Populated places in Sujawal District Sindh geography stubs

Sujawal District Tehsils of Sujawal District {{Sindh-geo-stub

Challenges for population

See Also

Footnotes

References