CITY PROFILE BAHAWALPUR

Overview
Situated at the southeast of the Punjab Province, Bahawalpur city is surrounded by fertile land,
natural water resources and grooves of date palms. This thickly populated city is part of the
Sutlej plain which experiences hot and dry climate all around the year. The city is surrounded by
all kinds of terrains; on the west side it is bordered with river Sutlej while Thar desert lies at the
east. The city is situated at an approximate distance of 420 km from Lahore, the capital of
Punjab. It shares its border with three other cities of Punjab province. Multan lies at the north of
Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan to the west, Bahawalnagar towards its east and Indian
International border touches Bahawalpur towards its southeast.
Being a 273 years old city, Bahawalpur depicts rich history and cultural heritage, also showing
colors of some old Indian towns as it was ruled by the Nawabs until 1955. The city has plenty of
architecturally historical monuments which hold a special place in its identity. Initially,
Bahawalpur was a walled city with two main roads dividing the it in fours portions with entry and
exit from four gates (Farid gate, Shikarpuri gate, Multani gate and Derawari gate). In recent
years, with rural-urban migration and natural population growth the city has expanded greatly
and is now home to thousands of people.
Bahawalpur has now become the 11th largest city of Pakistan due to continuous increase in
population. With 21 urban union councils the city is stretched over an extensive area, which
inculcates a projected population of 764,749 as of 2021. The municipal boundaries spread over
an area of 326 km with a hot dry Cholistan desert on one side and cultivatable fertile agricultural
land on the other.

Municipal Evolution of the Town

Tehsil Municipal Administration Bahawalpur was divided into two in October 2005, namely
Tehsil Municipal Administration Bahawalpur City and Tehsil Municipal Administration
Bahawalpur Saddar. Tehsil Municipal Administration Bahawalpur City comprises of 21 Union
Councils whereas Tehsil Municipal Administration Bahawalpur Saddar consists 15 Union
Councils. These two towns remained functional till 31-12-2016. From 01-01-2017, the status
was again restored as Municipal Corporation Bahawalpur and it functioned till 07-11-2019. Vide
notification No. SOR(LG) 6-30/2019/03, dated 7-11-2019, It was notified as Metropolitan
Corporation Bahawalpur, with the legal cover of Punjab Local Government Act, 2019. 

Amongst other problems, substandard urban infrastructure and scarce provision of municipal
services are the core problems of the city, which root mainly from unsupervised urban
development and inability of institutions to deliver on time. Furthermore, the city has poor living
conditions with unequal distribution of urban infrastructure which results in stunted growth of
potentially rewarding sectors. In addition to that, Limited policy making and lack of
implementation of planning activities with poor infrastructure causes dissimilar availability of
physical amenities and the quality of social services available to residents of Bahawalpur.
Water supply network being one of the basic human needs, covers just 10% of the city and
serves only 3% of the total population. Ground water is generally saline except the water along
irrigation canals and rivers. Furthermore, seventy percent of the sewerage network covers the
population with no sewage treatment system and no plans are being developed to address the
issue. The network is outdated, difficult to operate and maintain owing to leakages, pipe bursts
and low-grade maintenance1.

Population
Population data is one of the most important factors in balancing the demand and supply of
resources. If population is kept tracked, then the needs of the people can easily be fulfilled. The
latest census in Pakistan was conducted from March to May 2017 with a delay of 9 years
according to international standards. Final results of this census are still not available due to
reservations of some provinces regarding population count. It is safe to say that a census needs
a detailed planning and execution outlay that is agreed upon by all the relevant parties.
Urbanization being one of the pressing global issues is affecting Pakistan greatly. Urban growth
has a direct effect on urban land use. It is mainly pushed by unorganized expansion, rapidly
increasing population, and increased immigration. This results in increased city population due
to large scale rural-urban migration. Pakistan’s growth rate of urban population was at 4.4%
during the census conducted in 1972 and 1981 which reached to 32.52% in 1998. 2. Punjab is
the most populous province of Pakistan with approximately 56% of the country's total
population3.
Ample employment opportunities, better living standards and improved educational facilities
encourages people to migrate from rural areas to cities and result in unplanned rapid population
growth. In Bahawalpur the expansion in urban area resulting from haphazard urban rural urban
migration and natural resources is affecting the land usage of city borderline areas. Agricultural
land is being converted in residential and commercial areas. A periodic change is shown with
population projection (Table A.1).4
Table A.1: Population Trend of Bahawalpur City along with Projection
Bahawalpur Population
Municipal 1951 1961 1972 1981 1998
Corporation 406,98 843,77 115,660 152,009 356,626
(Including
Cantonment)

Bahawalpur Population 1998 Population 2017 Annual Growth rate

City 408,395 762,111 3.34%

Population 2019 2023 2028 2033 2038

Projection 802,792 866,766 953,950 1,049,904 1,155,509
Source: (ADB CDIA, 2019
Total area of the city was 96 sq km, with 18 UC’s and the population was 481,858 according to
the 1998 census, whereas the literacy rate of the city was 58.5%. The annual growth of the city

1
GOP, 2011. Punjab Cities Improvement Investment Program - Bahawalpur City Profile, The Urban Unit
2
Jan, B., Iqbal, M. & Iftikharuddin, 2008. Urbanization Tren and Urban Population Projections of Pakistan Using Weithed
Approach. Sarhad J. Agriculture, 24(1).
3
GOP, n.d. 3 Cities and Regions. In: Punjab Spatial Strategy 2047. pp. 63-97
4
Khan, A. A., Arshad, S., Shafqat, A. & Khan, K., 2015. Urban Growth and Governance of Basic Services in Bahawalpur City of
Pakistan. Pakistan Geographic Review, 71(2), pp. 1-22.
during 1981-98 was 2.93% and the average household size was 7 individuals per house. The
population of the city has grown to 681,6965 according to latest census of 20176

Table A. 2: Population Change of Bahawalpur City and Increase in Urban Area7

Years The population Inter-censual Urban Increase in
of Bahawalpur increase in area (in the urban
city population acres) area

1951 41646 - 590 -

1961 87377 45,731 1081 491
1972 135263 47,886 4308 3227
1981 180263 45,000 5609 1301
1998 481858 301,595 7731 2122
2012 (not 560588 78,730 11500 3769
census year)
2017 762,111 280,253 --------- --------
(difference
calculated using
1998
population)

Source: (Khan, et al., 2015)

Geography and Climatic Conditions

Temperature in Bahawalpur variates during the day, the climate is blazing hot in summers and
mild-cold in winters as it is located right next to Thar desert. The climate of the area is of the
subtropical continental type, characterized by low and rainfall, high temperatures, low relative
humidity, and strong summer winds. Annual rainfall varies between 90 to 200 mm and average
relative humidity is about 60%. Temperature rises up to 50ºC during summers and falls down to
-2ºC during winters, on average the temperature remains between 25 °C to 35 °C during the
year.
Urban development landscape and trends
Bahawalpur started off as a small city with minor settlements which has grown to be the 11 th
largest city of Pakistan and is developing rapidly. Bahawalpur city has transformed into an
intermediate city of Pakistan as it provides central business services for the neighbouring area
and has a very important geographical location in the region. Apart from this, Bahawalpur city
has fertile soil and favourable climate for production of agricultural products. Revenue
generation from these products is paramount for the progression of the city and the country.

5
https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/bwpsr/punjab/BAHAWALPUR_BLOCKWISE.pdf
6
GOP, 2011. Punjab Cities Improvement Investment Program - Bahawalpur City Profile, The Urban Unit
7
GOP, 2011. Punjab Cities Improvement Investment Program - Bahawalpur City Profile, The Urban Unit
Rapid growth of Bahawalpur city has led to more demand of land for housing units. The rate at
which residential buildings are being constructed in the city demonstrates an upward change in
the city’s population. However, it is hard to extract data relating to housing units as the results of
2017 census are still not available publically.

Illegal constructional activities have been a huge problem for Pakistan from day one. Since
1950, a total of 102 residential colonies have been established over an area of 462.15 hectares.
Of which 84 (82.75%) of the total land were illegally established and only 18 (17.25%) were
approved by concerned regulatory authorities. From 1950 to 1960 merely seven residential
colonies were built indicating a conversion rate of 9.7 acres per year, while between 2000 and
2010 a total of 32 residential colonies were built indicating a conversion rate of 42.2 acres per
year.8

Table A. 5: Housing Characteristics of Bahawalpur Tehsil in 1998

Type of Structure Housing Facilities

Total Pacca Semi Kacha Potable Electricit
Bahawalpur Pacca Water
y
Tehsil Urban 58797 35668 10131 1299 22974 5087
8 9
Rural 55583 20935 9656 2499 4577 2428
Total 114380 56603 19787 3799 27551 7516
MC 50154 30686 8795 1067 19171 4393
Cantt 5398 3205 816 137 2974 4611
Source: (GOP, 2011)

Tehsil officer Regulation Bahawalpur maintains all the information associated with katchi
Abadis. There are a total of 25 Katchi Abadis in Bahawalpur City, 14 are provided with basic
services and the remaining still awaite these services. The total number of registered residential
units in 15 recognized Katchi Abadis are 6,900 and in un-recognized katchi Abadis are 3,264.
Table A.9: List of Katchi Abadis (Recognised and Un-recognised)

S. No Name Type Area

1 Bhatta No.1 139 K -13M
2 Bhatta No. 2-3 193 K- 9 M
Recognized

3 Muhajir Colony 66 K - 8 M
4 Mohalla Sharif Pura 46 K - 18 M
5 Javid Nazir Colony 82 K -3 M
6 Goth Gadra 71 K -10 M
7 Tibba Badar Sheer 901 K-11 M
8 Bund Bindra 14 K-16 M
9 Karbala Gao Shalla 25 K-5 M
10 Gharib Abad 20 K-2 M
11 Chah Mufti Wala 15 K-19 M
12 Miani Mander 19 K-15 M
13 Awami Lut Colony 42 K- 0 M
14 Bahawalpur Colony 139 K-13M
15 Habib Colony Cancelled No Information
8
Mohsin, M., Nasar ul Minallah, M. & Ali Khan, A., 2016. Expansion of Residential Colonies and Conversion of Farmland in
Bahawalpur City, Pakistan: A Temporal View. Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, Volume 12, pp. 124-134
 16 Bungalow Mandir 10K
17 Majid Abad 26K

Un – Recognized
18 Naseer Abad 200K
19 Shafique Abad 120K
20 Basti Derzian 104K
21 Javid Colony 200K
22 Bahta No 4 200K
23 Muhajir Colony Pucci 150K
24 Musa Colony 400K
25 Budir Sherki 400K
Source: (GOP, 2011)

Socio-economic factors

Land use and changes in land cover are the central components in strategies for managing
natural resources. Residential, commercial, industrial and institutional activities are all termed as
land use. Balance between land usage and population have a direct relationship with the
availability of basic amenities of a city. Like majority of Pakistani cities, the old city of
Bahawalpur was an unplanned irregularly built square divided into four sections by two main
roads. However, an Outline development plan was formulated in 1974 by the Government of
Punjab. According to the which the metropolitan was divided into six zones on the basis of
economic uniformity and its type of land use.

Bahawalpur’s geographic location plays a huge part in the economic activity generated in the
city. It is located at a junction of trade routes with a canal supply water network for irrigation. In
addition to this, the city serves as a centre of trade for agricultural goods including cotton,
sugarcane, wheat, millet, sunflower seeds, and rice. Mangoes, guavas, citrus and dates are
some of the fruits grown here and exported out of the country which adds to revenue generation
for the state and the country. Moreover, cotton ginning, flour mills, rice mills and hand weaving
textiles are the leading industries of the city.

The government has subsidised a number of businesses in this industrially growing city. To
further promote industrial growth of caustic soda, cotton ginning, flour mills, steel re-rolling mills
and all other industries government has taken solid steps for ease of doing business. Hopefully
the local businessmen of the area will capitalize on this opportunity and expand their
businesses.

Political Factors
The dismissal of elected local governments in 2019 is a prime example of unconstitutional and
unjustified interference by the provincial governments in the affairs of local government. There is
an absence of constitutional safeguards for local governments as a stumbling block for the
democratic process in the country. The first step towards strengthening local governments was
to ensure the completion of their tenure. The dismantling of local governments is a politically
motivated act that negates the legitimate democratic right of the people. In the PLGA 2013, the
section 87 related to the functions of Metropolitan and Municipal Corporations restricted the
provincial bureaucracy’s ability to intercede in the jurisdiction of corporations. Whereas, the
division of powers in the PLGA 2019 made a reversal of roles and it is detrimental to local
governments in Punjab. The funds at the provincial level are not released to the local level for
the service delivery.
The recent amendments in 2019 Act abolished the abolished the elected district organization
and replaced it with an elected tehsil council. However, the elected tehsil council was placed
under the deputy commissioner as the provincial government’s principal representative. As per
the PLGA, 2019, the responsibility of municipal services is assigned to local government. Local
political ownership of and participation in the municipal system is missing. Legislation on local
bodies is a provincial subject. Ironically, however, the provincial government has a persistent
track record of reluctance to give due powers to the local governments. Lastly, there is a lack of
communication during the budget making and planning processes as the initial hurdles to
smooth collaborations with elected officials and the officers from the federal and provincial
services.