Sindh-Dadu

Brief History – Governmental Structure – Administrative Divisions – Heritage Sites

Brief History of Dadu District

The first important fact that is well-known and recounted among historians about the history of this region is that nearly 26,000 years ago, an orderly and well established civilization existed in the valley of the Indus. This fact is based on archeological explorations, which were carried out by the Archeological Department at Mohen-jo-Daro during the year 1920-22. Mohen-jo-Daro is one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and one of the world’s earliest major urban settlements, contemporaneous with the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Crete.  Even though the Mohen-jo-Daro archeological site is located in Larkana, Sindh, the association of Dadu with the Indus Valley Civilization remains strong, because not only was the region a part of the Larkana district until 1933, evidence of the ancient civilization’s roots in Dadu has been collected by archeologists.

Historically, Dadu and its adjoining areas—Sehwan, Johi, and Mehar among others—have been chiefly significant for two reasons: the first is that the Dadu region effectively forms the border between the historically separate and autonomous princely states of Sindh and Balochistan. The second reason is that Dadu is situated along the route taken by caravans traveling along the River Indus. Archeological evidence from both Mohen-jo-Daro and Harappa, as well as a study of ancient literature show that trade with other countries like Mesopotamia (ancient Greece), Persian Gulf (Iran, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq) and China had been carried out in Sindh by sea. This necessitated the development of land routes for trade caravans, complete with a logistical network of pathways and caravanserais (stopping places for caravans) used for the commercial transport of cargo. Both Dadu district and Shikarpur district in Sindh are situated along these ancient trade routes.

Geographically, the Dadu region has been consistently considered to be a part of Sindh, and so it has shared in the province’s historical shifts. Thus, the area has been a part of the empires of the Aryan people, the Iranian or Sasanian Empire, the Greco-Bactrian Empire, the Buddhist Empire, the Mauryan Empire, as well as the Chachh Empire, among others.

In the 8th century AD, Debal (Thatta), which was the capital of Sindh at that time, was invaded and conquered by Arab Muslims under the leadership of Muhammad Bin Qasim, who defeated the Hindu Raja (Dahir) and took over the rule of Sindh, which also included the region now called the Dadu district. As described in the chapter about Sindh, the region was later annexed by the Ghaznavid Empire and the Delhi Sultanate[1], but continued to be semi-independent.

The Soomro Dynasty took the reins of Sindh and remained in power from 1024 to 1351. They were ousted by the Sammas, whose rule lasted from 1351 to 1524. The Delhi Sultanate was taken over by the Mughals, whose rule continued from 1526 to 1857, all of whom maintained control of the entire region, included that of Dadu. The Mughal Emperor Akbar, who was born in Sindh (Umerkot town of Umerkot district) made Sindh a part of the Mughal Empire, but even during Mughal Rule, Sindh continued to be semi-autonomous. The region was annexed by the Arghun Dynasty and the Turkhan or Tarkhan dynasties from 1519 to 1625 (both of which were of Turkic-Afghan origins). By 1747, Sindh had become a vassal-state of the Afghan Durrani Empire and was ruled by Kalhora Rulers (1701-1783). The Talpurs ruled the region from 1783 to 1843, at which point it was annexed by the British.

Dadu was developed as a thriving, well-planned area by the Kalhora Dynasty, under the regime of Yar Muhammad Kalhoro, who, in 1710 AD, conquered Khudabad City (Dadu district) by defeating the Panhwars (a tribe that ruled Dadu areas). After Mian Yar Muhammad’s death in 1719, Mian Noor Muhammad Kalhoro became the ruler of Sindh (1719–1755) and developed the area of Khudabad as a well-planned city. He also built a beautiful Jamia Masjid in the city. Khudabad became the capital of Sindh between 1719 and 1789, when it was replaced by Hyderabad as the capital of Sindh by the Kalhoras.

Fateh Ali Khan (Talpur) defeated Mian Abdul Nabi Kalhora in 1783 and took over as the new ruler of Sindh. Khudabad City was his capital till it was inundated by River Indus in 1789, which is when Mir Fateh Ali Khan made Hyderabad (old Nayrun Kot or Neroonkot) his capital.

As stated already, Sir. Charles Napier defeated the army of the Talpur Mirs in 1843, wresting control of the region for the British. In 1901, the British created Larkana district which included Dadu and Johi. In 1933, Dadu district was created by merging tehsils from other districts: Kotri and Kohistan tehsils from Karachi district and Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Dadu, Johi, and Sehwan tehsils from Larkana district were all made part of the new Dadu district.

Mehar taluka (now part of Dadu) was a subdivision of Larkana district during British rule with the town of Mehar as the headquarters. The taluka, along with the rest of Sindh, was, for a time, part of the Bombay Presidency of British India.

At the time of Partition in 1947, Dadu district consisted of Kotri, Kohistan, Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Dadu, Sehwan, and Juhi talukas. It remained the largest (in area) district of Sindh till 2004, when Kotri and Sehwan talukas became part of the newly created Jamshoro district.

Governmental Structure; Dadu District

At the Federal level, Dadu district is allocated a set number of representatives in both the National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly:

• Number of seats in National Assembly: 03
• Number of seats in Provincial Assembly: 04

Dadu has a total of 3 Municipal Committees (MC):

• MC Dadu
• MC Mehar
• MC Khairpur Nathan Shah

The total number of Dadu’s Town Committees (TC) is 5:

• TC Phulji Station
• TC Johi
• TC Sita Road
• TC Radhan
• TC Thariri Mohabar

Administrative Divisions; Dadu district

At the time of Partition, the district comprised of 7 talukas, but in October 2003, when Jamshoro district was created, the Kotri, Sehwan, and Thano Bula Khan talukas became part of Jamshoro district. Now, Dadu district consists of the following 4 talukas:

Dadu Taluka	15 Union Councils
Johi Taluka	10 Union Councils
Khairpur Nathatan Shah	12 Union Councils
Mehar Taluka	15 Union Councils

Table 1.2 Dadu Administrative Divisions

Protected Heritage Sites; Dadu district

The following sites in Dadu district, considered to be of historical and heritage importance, are being protected under the Government of Pakistan Laws[1]:

• Tomb of Yar Mohammad Khan Kalhora and its adjoining Jamia Masjid, Khudabad, Dadu: Yar Muhammad Kalhora ruled the area from 1718-1755. The tomb was constructed by Mian Yar Muhammad Kalhora before his death in 1719. He was buried there by Noor Muhammad Kalhoro, who took over the reins of the Kalhora Empire. The Jamia Masjid of Khudabad, Dadu was also built during the reign of Yar Muhammad Kalhora. The mosque was a central place of worship for Khudabad, and also served as a school as well as for military training of personnel
• Piyaroli Mari, Deh Dhouk Johi, Dadu: a protected archeological site
• Ali Murad Village mounds, Johi, Dadu: archeological site
• Pandhi Wahi Village Mounds, Johi, Dadu: archeological site, that contains a Hindu temple dedicated to Kalkan Devi
• Lohamjodaro, Deh Palha, Dadu: archeological site
• Ancient Mounds, Deh Wahi Pandhi, Johi, Dadu: archeological site

Figure 1.5 Tomb of Yar Muhammad Kalhora and the accompanying Graveyard

Figure 1.6 Jamia Masjid Khudabad

[1] Guidelines for Sensitive and Critical Areas Pakistan, Government of Pakistan. 1997

[1] Delhi Sultanate refers to the various Muslim dynasties that ruled in India (1210–1526). It was founded after Muhammad of Ghor defeated Prithvi Raj and captured Delhi in 1192.

Topography of Dadu District

Topographically, Dadu district is divided into 3 distinct areas:

Kohistan or Hilly Areas: The Kohistan area is divided into hilly and Katchho or Kachho areas. The Kohistan’s hilly area consists of limestone hills of the Kirthar Range and extends along the Western boundary of the district, with a breadth of 15-20 km. The Kirthar Range consists of an ascending series of ridges running in a generally Northern direction from Jamshoro district to Larkana district. The highest ridge of this range forms the boundary between Sindh and Balochistan. The highest peak (discovered[1] in 2009) is at an elevation of 2,151 meters, and is situated a few miles Northwest of the Gorakh Hills. It is named Koh-i-Benazir. The next highest is Kutte-jo-Qabar (2,097 meters) on the North side of Kirthar (Larkana), and the third highest peak is in the Gorakh Hills at an elevation of 1,734 meters in Dadu.

Katchho/ Lowlands/ Riverine Areas: Katchho is the area between the Kirthar hills and the Indus. This area can properly be described as a broad shallow, since the middle line, from North to South, is considerably below the level of the Indus on one side and the base of hills on the other. Due to this depression, the hill torrents and waters of the barrage canals all flow in to the Manchar Lake and then, by the Aral drain, ultimately to the Indus. Katchho area is to the West of the Barrage Zone.

The Barrage Zone or Pacco: The central part of the district is a plain area made cultivable through irrigation by the Rice and Dadu canals; this is known as the Barrage Zone or Pacco.

Rivers, Streams, and Lakes; Dadu district

The district is intersected with natural water courses (locally called dhoras) and depressions (locally called dhandhs) which, in some cases, retain water throughout the year and yield a large growth of babul trees on their edges.

The River Indus flows along the eastern boundary of the district. There is no other river in the district. Canals and hill torrents known as nais are the main source of surface water. The most important of these is the Nai Gaji. Other notable Nais are Baran, Sann, and Sol.

After the restructuring of the districts, Manchar Lake became a part of Jamshoro district, due to which the only important lake of the district is currently the Ganero, which is about 16 km from Mehar. Some other lakes/dhands of the district include Kachhri Dhand Lake, and Sanjri Dhand Lake.

Forests; Dadu district

Dadu district is home to riverine forests of Sindh, which are mostly located along the banks of River Indus. The district also has irrigated plantations and rangelands.

The total area under forest in district Dadu is 191,000 HA. The important forests are Amri, Abad, Bhan, Gidarji, Budhapur, Budho Dero, Dero, Gagh, Kundah Khairo, Kaloo Bhori, Kandi Baghban, Kacho Magsi, Manjhand, Kamal Dero, Keti Lalya, Keti Jatoi, Kacho, Nari, Rajri, Sita, Shah Grah Dhandan, Sona Bindi, Qasim Shah, Unerpur and Soi[2].

The major flora of the riverine forests includes babul (Acacia nilotica), bahan or euphrates poplar (Populus euphratica), athel pine or farash (Tamarix aphylla), lai or salt cedar (Tamarix dioca) and kandi (Prosopis cineraria).

Soils; Dadu district

The soil is the rich alluvial loam of the Indus Valley. The northern part of the district is subject to seasonal Indus floods. Soil is silty and sandy loam, associated with the active flood plain, while the upper areas of the flood plain are calcareous, loamy, and clayey. Some portions of land in Mehar and Khairpur Nathan Shah Talukas are affected by water logging and salinity, but the rest of the lowlands are, for the most part, fertile.

Figure 1.3 A Spring in Gorakh Hills, Dadu

Seismic Activity/Seismicity; Dadu district

Dadu district falls in Zone 2 A of the Seismic Zone Map of Pakistan, which means minor damage due to earthquakes[1].

[1] See Seismic Zone Map included in the chapter on Pakistan

[1] Koh-i-Benazir was discovered by Shaddan Shah, who used Google Telemetrics to measure the range and discovered that what was previously thought to be the highest peak of the range (Kutte-jo-Qabar) was not, in actuality, the highest.

[2] 1998 District Profile Dadu. (GoPakistan).

Population of Dadu District

The following table shows the population figures for the district as per 2017 Census of Pakistan as reported in Development statistics of Sindh 2017-18:

District/Taluka	Area km2	Population	Male%	Female%	Urban%	Growth Rate %
Dadu District	7,866	1,550,266	51.5	48.5	24.7	1.8
Dadu Taluka	846	460,481
K N S[1]	2,583	334,258
Mehar Taluka	928	460,679
Johi Taluka	3,509	294,848

Table 1.3 Dadu Population Statistics

Religions; Dadu district[2]

Islam	97.5%
Hinduism	2.0%
Christianity	0.4%
Ahmaddiya	0.1%
Others	0.02%

Table 1.4 Dadu Religions

Languages; Dadu district[3]

Urdu	0.5%
Punjabi	0.7%
Sindhi	97%
Pushto	0.2%
Balochi	0.1%
Seraiki	0.3%
Others	0.6%

Table 1.5 Dadu Languages

[1] Khairpur Nathan Shah

[2] 1998 Census; 2017 Census data has not been made public yet.

[3] 1998 Census; 2017 Census data  has not been made public yet.

Economic Activity – Economic Infrastructure

Economic Activity; Dadu District

According to the 1998 Census[1], before the district was divided into two, economic activity of Dadu district was mainly agricultural. The share of industries was as follows (2017 data has not been made public yet):

• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (57%)
• Community, Social & personal Services (30.1%)
• Activities not defined (15.3%)

Agriculture – Land Use – Irrigation – Minerals and Mining – Industry – Handicrafts

Land Use; Dadu district

The following table shows the main land use statistics of the Dadu district as per Sindh Development Statistics 2017-18:

Total Area	667,000 HA	Reported Area[1]	667,000 HA
Total Cultivated Area	320,000 HA	Net Sown	142,000 HA
Current Fallow	178,000 HA	Total Uncultivated Area	347,000 HA
Culturable Waste	35,000 HA	Forest Area	191,000 HA

Table 1.6 Dadu Land Use Statistics

[1] For definitions please see chapters on Pakistan and Sindh

Irrigation Network; Dadu district

The district is irrigated by the Sukkur Barrage system. There are 2 main canals in the district: Rice Canal and Dadu Canal. Rice Canal is non-perennial, whereas Dadu is a perennial canal. The land is also irrigated by tube wells, particularly in riverine areas[1]. The mode of irrigation and area irrigated by the mode according to Sindh Development Statistics 2017-18 is as follows:

Mode Of Irrigation	Area	Mode Of Irrigation	Area
Total Irrigated Area	61,636 HA	Canal Irrigated	54,317 HA
Non-Irrigated Area[2]	80,541 HA	Well Irrigated	196 HA
Tube Wells Irrigated	7,123 HA

Table 1.10 Dadu Irrigation Statistics

[1] Riverine (also spelled Riverain) areas are situated next to a River

[2] Water supply in these areas depends upon rainfall, and is thus, left non-irrigated

Agriculture; Dadu district

The district belongs to the Southern Irrigated Agro-Ecological Zone of Pakistan, which represents the Lower Indus Plain formed by the meandering of the Indus River. All crops of kharif[2] and rabi[3] are grown in the district. Crops of the district include wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane, maize, barley, jowar, bajra, gram, sesame, tobacco, masoor, rapeseed, mustard, canola, sunflower, gowar seed, sugar beet, linseed, and safflower.

Vegetables grown in the district are okra, tinda, brinjal, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin, luffa, cucumber, long melon, beans, field vetch, lotus roots, chilies, turmeric, spearmint, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, beetroot, and turnip.

Fruits of the district include banana, dates, guava, mango, watermelon, musk melon, papaya, phalsa, citrus, ber, and berries.

Figure 1.4 Rice Crop, Dadu

Livestock Breeding; Dadu district

Livestock contributes roughly one-third to the total share of agricultural production. The following table shows the number of livestock in Dadu district as per Livestock Census 2006 (quoted in Sindh Development Statistics 2017-2018; latest available).

Cattle	469,000 Heads	Buffaloes	386,000 Heads	Sheep	284,000 Heads
Goats	800,000 Heads	Camels	42,000 Heads	Asses	39,000 Heads
Horses	3,000 Heads	Mules	2,000 Heads

Table 1.7 Dadu Livestock Statistics

Cross breed cattle, red Sindhi cow, kooka sheep, barbary goat, and some breeds of thorough bred horses are indigenous breeds of Dadu district.

Poultry Farms; Dadu district

There are 320 poultry farms[4] in the district.

Fishing; Dadu district

Fishing is a very important sector of economic activity of the district. Nearly 3% of all inland fish[5] was caught in Dadu district. Fishing is carried out in the canals and lakes (dhands) of the District and also River Indus.

Bee Keeping/Api Culture; Dadu district

Honeybee keeping was introduced in Pakistan in the 1980s, when IUCN and UNDP introduced apiculture to the coastal villages of Sindh, including those located in Dadu. Since then, honeybee keeping has been slowly and gradually growing as a cottage industry in nearly all parts of Pakistan, including Dadu.

Minerals and Mining; Dadu district

The district is rich in minerals. The Kirthar Range is mined as a source of lime, limestone, gravel, salt, sand, gypsum, alum, and marble. Coal (Lakhra field), and oil and gas (Kirthar Range) are other major minerals found in the district.

Industry and Manufacturing; Dadu district

There is one major Industrial Estate at Nooriabad and one Small Industry Estate in Joohi Taluka. The Nooriabad Industrial Estate has approval for industries like textile, light engineering, food processing, chemical plants, cement, tobacco, and detergent. The Small Industry Estate at Joohi Taluka has been approved for food, beverages, handicrafts, and the light engineering industry. The following table shows the type of industry and number of units in the district (as per Census of Manufacturing Industries 2005-6; Latest available)

Industry	Units	Industry	Units
Food Products, Beverages Tobacco	17	Manufacture of Textile	44
Wood & Wood Products	03	Paper & Paper Products	04
Chemicals & Rubber, Plastic Products	04	Non-metallic Mineral Products	05
Basic Metal & Fabricated Metal Products	05	Rice Husking Mills[6]	44

Table 1.8 Dadu Industry Statistics

Handicrafts; Dadu district

The main handicrafts produced by artisans in Dadu district are Sindhi embroidery on clothes, bed sheets, and other linens, as well as Sindhi caps, hand woven cloth, colorful pottery, and clothing accessories.

 

Economic Infrastructure; Dadu District

Roads, railways, airports, water supply, and sewerage systems comprise the economic infrastructure of the district. Dadu is connected to other parts of Sindh province and Pakistan through Pakistan Railways, but there are no air links from the district.

Roads – Rail and Airways – Radio and Television – Telecommunications – Post Offices/ Courier Services – Banking/ Financial Institutions – Electricity and Gas – Education – Health – Policing

Road Statistics; Dadu district

The district headquarter is connected with its taluka headquarters through black topped and shingle roads. The Indus Highway or National Highway N-55 passes through Dadu district. According to the Sindh Development Statistics 2017-18 total length of black topped roads in the District is 1054 km. The following table shows the length of roads in the district as per Road List 2009 (Latest available) issued by the Government of Sindh:

Provincial Highways	123.65 km
Secondary Roads	942.66 km
Access Roads	805.35 km

Table 1.9 Dadu Roads Statistics

Some important roads of the district include:

• Sehwan-Jhangra-Kai
• Dadu-Johi-Chinni
• Kakar-Gajj Bunglow
• Dadu-Moro

Figure 1.7 Dadu-Moro Road

Figure 1.8 Dadu-Moro Bridge over River Indus

Rail and Airways; Dadu district

Dadu is connected to other parts of Sindh province and Pakistan through Pakistan Railways. The main railway station connecting the district to other major centers of Pakistan is located in Dadu city. Another smaller railway station is located at Johi taluka.

There is no airport in the district. The nearest airports accessible via road are the Mohen-jo-Daro (Larkana district) and Sehwan Airports (Jamshoro district).

Radio and Television; Dadu district

There is a privately owned FM Radio station in Dadu district. Even though there is no TV station in the district, PTV transmissions are accessible through boosters, and cable TV is available throughout the district.

Telecommunications; Dadu district

Internet and telephone facilities are available in some of the larger villages, towns, and urban areas of the district.

Post Offices/ Courier Services; dadu district

General Post Office (GPO) Dadu is located in Dadu city. The GPO Dadu has 11 branch offices in various parts of the district.

Banking/ Financial Institutions; Dadu district 

Banks with branches[1] in the district include:

• Allied Bank Ltd.
• Bank Al-Habib Ltd.
• Habib Bank Ltd.
• JS Bank Ltd.
• Muslim Commercial Bank Ltd.
• Meezan Bank Ltd.
• National Bank of Pakistan Ltd.
• Sindh Bank Ltd.
• Summit Bank Ltd.
• United Bank Ltd.
• Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd.

In all there are 45 brnches of conventional and 5 branches of Islamic banks in the District.

Electricity and Gas; Dadu district 

Hyderabad Electric Supply Corporation is responsible^[2] for supplying electricity to Dadu district. There are a total of 6 grid stations in the district, each of which has a capacity of 132 KV.

Piped Natural gas is available in urban areas.

Educational Institutions; Dadu district

According to Pakistan Social & Living Measurement Survey 2014-15; the literacy rate of Dadu district is 66% with 87% urban and 62% of the rural population being literate. The number of educational institutions[5] in the district is as follows:

Institution	Boys/Girls	Institution	boys/girls
Primary schools	1,431/248	Middle schools	44/13
High Schools	65/20	Higher Secondary schools	1/-
Colleges	3/1	Technical schools	2/-
Commercial Training	2/-	Vocational Training	2/7
Post Graduate Colleges	–	Universities[6]	02

Table 1.11 Dadu Education Statistics

Healthcare Facilities; Dadu district

The following table shows the Government Health Care Institutions in Dadu district as per Health Profile Sindh District 2017:

Institution	No./Beds	Institution	No./Beds
Government Hospitals	05/268	Dispensaries	75/06
Rural Health Centers	05/82	Basic Health Units	46/92
T B Clinics	08/-	Mother Child Health Centers	03/10
Private Hospitals	48/28	Private TB Clinics	-/-
Private Dispensaries	-/-	Private MCHC	06/10

Table 1.12 Dadu Health Statistics

Policing; Dadu district

The Additional Inspector General Police (AIGP Hyderabad Region) is in charge of Hyderabad, Matiari, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allah Yar, Badin, Nawabshah, Thatta, Dadu, and Jamshoro districts. The District Police Officer (DPO) directly reports to the AIGP Hyderabad. There are a total of 22 police stations in Dadu. The SHO (Station House Officer) is responsible for each police station, and has varying numbers of police officers and policemen staffing the stations.

Figure 1.9 Gorakh Hills Dadu

Figure 1.10 Government Primary School, Dadu

Figure 1.11 Dadu Canal

[1] List of Reporting Bank Branches 2019 by State Bank of Pakistan

[2] Environmental And Social Assessment HESCO, 6th STG Project by Elan Partners Pvt. Ltd, 2007; latest available

[3] Riverine (also spelled Riverain) areas are situated next to a River

[4] Water supply in these areas depends upon rainfall, and is thus, left non-irrigated

[5] Sindh Development Statistics 2017-18

[6] Campus of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University and University of Sindh Campus

[1] No projections or updated data is available since the 1998 Census, and hence, the data included here does not account for the change in size due to the bifurcation in 2003. The 2017 Data has not been made public yet.

[2] Kharif (literally means autumn) crops are the autumn crops; these are usually sown in February (sugarcane), March-May (cotton), June-July (rice) and July-August (maize); the harvesting starts in September, continuing to December. Harvesting of sugarcane can proceed up to March or even beyond March, depending on the year’s yield.

[3] Rabi crops are agricultural crops sown from October to December, and harvested during March-April

[4] Table 17 Number of Commercial Poultry Farms and Number of Birds by Size of Flock

[5] Sindh Development Statistics 2017-18

[6] Dadu District Profile by Small Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA)

Environment and Biodiversity; Dadu District

Dadu district belongs to the arid region of Pakistan and is highly prone to droughts. The people of Kohistan and Katchho areas are dependent on rainwater, which restores the ground water. The riverine belt and irrigated or barrage areas are experiencing a shortage of water due to a decrease in rainfall, which has resulted in fewer riverine floods, thus creating significant shortage of fresh water, and a decrease in the ground water table levels.

The district’s air is polluted, which is mainly due to dust and emissions from the industrial estates and inefficient vehicles on roads traversing the district.

Flora and Fauna – Wildlife Protected Areas and Endangered Wildlife – Tourist Resort/ Picnic Spots/ Recreational Areas

Flora and Fauna; Dadu district

Flora; Dadu district

The flora of the district, found mainly in the Gorakh Hills of the Kirthar Range in Dadu includes gum Arabic or khumbat (Acacia Senegal), kikar or babul (Acacia nilotica), jand or kandi (Prosopis cineraria), forest fire or lahura (Tecomella undulata), ber (Zizyphus nummularia), mirrh (Commiphora), mitha gugul (stocksiana), mukul mirrh (Commiphora wightii), karir (Capparis deciduas), harmal (Rhazya stricta), Indian rennet (Withania coagulans), hopbush or sanatha (Dodonaea viscosa), dhumia or kanti (Fagonia indica), phalsa or raisin bush (Grewia tenax), mallow raisin (Grewia villosa), wild asparagus (Asparagus capensis and Asparagus gharoensis), tooth brush tree or miswak (Salvadora persica L.), wild olives (Olea ferruginea), sanni gidda (Dicoma tomentosa Cass), Heliotropium crispum, cassia or wild cinnamon (Senna holosericea), prostrate sandmate (Euphorbia prostrata), dwarf palm or peesh (Nannorrhops ritichieana), and vann or peelu (Salvadora oleoides).

Fauna; Dadu district

Mammals of Kirthar National Park, Mahal Kohistan Wildlife Sanctuary, and Surjan, Sumbak, Eri, and Hothiana Game Reserves include common fox, jackal, jungle cat, ratels, chinkara gazelle, urial, leopards, striped hyenas, Sindh wild goat, black buck, antelopes, desert wolf, honey badger, Indian pangolin, caracal, hedgehog, porcupine, Indian grey mongoose, rocky mouse, and Cairo spiny mouse.

Avifauna includes lammergeier vulture (winter migrant), bonelli’s eagle, imperial eagle, tawny eagle, golden eagle, Eurasian griffon vulture, Egyptian vulture, cinereous vulture, lagger falcon, red-headed merlin, kestrel, close-barred sandgrouse, houbara bustard, grey partridge, see-see partridge, stone curlew, Indian sand grouse, coroneted sand grouse, painted sand grouse, eagle owl, Sind pied woodpecker, Hume’s wheateater, brown rock pipit, striped bunting, finches, larks, hoopoe, shrikes, and wheatears.

Reptilian fauna includes the rock python, Sind cobra, Russell’s viper, saw-scaled viper, Sind krait, royal rat snake, tortoise, desert monitor lizard, yellow monitor lizard, Sind crocodile (possibly extinct[1]) and different species of lizard and chameleon.

Wildlife Protected Areas/Endangered Wildlife

Mahal Kohistan Wildlife Sanctuary and Surjan, Sumbak, Eri, Hothiano Wildlife Sanctuaries are a part of Kirthar National Park located in Dadu district. Protected wildlife includes fox, jackal, jungle cat, chinkara gazelle, urial, monitor lizard, and Indian cobra.

Tourist Resort/Picnic Spots/Recreational Areas; Dadu District 

Gorakh Hill (one of the highest peaks of the region, at an elevation of 1,734 meters or 5,688 ft) is home to a popular hill station, located in the Kirthar Mountain Range. The resort usually gets snow during the winter months.

Kirthar National Park—the second largest and the first national park to be on the UN list of international parks—is located partly in Dadu district (with a large portion of the park in Karachi district), and has amenities for tourists like picnic areas, protected wildlife, and hiking.

Shajahan Park in Dadu city, built by Mir Mazharul Haq in remembrance of Shajahan, a local boy killed in a dispute, also provides picnic areas for a family outing.

Dadu is also home to archeological sites like the Amri Mounds, which are accessible for recreation and sight-seeing.

There are a large number of thermal springs in the district, used by people for baths. The springs are believed to have special properties that cure a number of diseases.

[1] Kirthar National Park, Sindh Wildlife Department

[2] Guidelines for Sensitive and Critical Areas Pakistan, Government of Pakistan. 1997