Saroona 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 ...

) of

Khuzdar District Khuzdar (Balochi language, Balochi: ; Urdu and Brahui language, Brahui: ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district in the Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan province of Pakistan. The city of Khuzdar serves as the district's headquarters. Until its e ...

Balochistan, Pakistan Balochistan (; ; , ) is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Khybe ...

. It is one of ten administrative units, comprising tehsils and sub-tehsils, in the district, alongside Aranji, Gresha, Karakh,

Khuzdar Khuzdar ( Balochi, , ) also known as ''Hozdar'', is a city and the administrative headquarters of Khuzdar District in Balochistan province of Pakistan. Khuzdar is surrounded by mountainous region of the southwestern portion of the country near ...

, Moola, Nal, Ornach, Wadh, and

Zehri Zehri () is an ethnic Brahui tribe mainly found in Balochistan, Pakistan. According to the official list by Mir Ahmad Yar, the last Khan of Kalat, Zehri was originally one of the Jaṭṭ tribes inhabiting Balochistan. It belongs to the Jha ...

. The tehsil spans an area of 3,257 square kilometres and is predominantly characterised by mountainous and

arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

terrain. It is the southernmost part of the district, extending from its northern boundary within Khuzdar District deep into the adjoining

Lasbela District Lasbela District ( , , ) is a coastal district and part of the Kalat Division situated in the south-east of Balochistan, Pakistan. Located approximately northwest of Karachi, the district is geographically and economically significant. A ...

Population

According to the 2023 national census, Saroona tehsil has a population of 36,380, all of whom reside in rural areas. The entire tehsil comprises just 6,480 households. This makes it one of the most rural and sparsely populated tehsils in the district. The overall literacy rate stands at 24.22%, with 28% of the male population being

literate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

, while the female literacy rate is significantly lower at 19.68%. Access to safe drinking water is a major issue in the tehsil. Community involvement, especially by women, who are the primary collectors of water, is crucial, particularly in addressing sanitation challenges.

Languages

In Saroona Tehsil, Brahui is the predominant language, spoken by approximately 30,939 people (85.05% of the population), followed by Balochi, spoken by around 5,331 individuals (14.66%). The dominance of Brahui reflects the tehsil's historical roots as part of the central Brahui-speaking

highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

s of Balochistan, where tribal and cultural affiliations have preserved the language over centuries. Balochi, while present, plays a secondary role in local communication, often coexisting with Brahui in multilingual households and public life.

References and notes

Explanatory notes

References

Tehsils of Khuzdar District Khuzdar District {{Balochistan-geo-stub