R S www.irss.academyirmbr.com January 2021 S International Review of Social Sciences Vol. 9 Issue.1 I A GIS based Approach to the Aged Dependency Ratio and Economic Dependency Ratio of the Aged Population of District Khairpur Dr. NAILA PARVEEN Department of Geography Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Pakistan. Email: [email protected] GHAZALA PARVEEN Assistant Professor, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Govt. College of Education, Larkana. Email: [email protected] Dr. NAZIA ABDUL REHMAN Benazir School of Business, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari, Karachi, Pakistan. Email: [email protected] Abstract The economic problem of the aged population, including poverty, is inseparably bound up with the size of its dependency in economic, social and structural terms, and its geographic dimensions have great significance. The fundamental purpose of present research is determination of spatial distribution of aged population, aiming aged dependency ratio by taluka, and economic aged dependency ratio of district Khairpur. The study follows quantitative approach. Arc GIS 10.1 is utilized to analyze the data focusing census report of 1998 as the population. The findings of the study highlights that the burden of aged population is higher on the young population as there is scarcity of resources and unemployment ratio is high; which is major cause of anxiety among young ones. The results also indicated that poverty is root cause behind that stress and horrible dilemma. The study highly recommended that unemployment ratio must be reduced by creating employment opportunities to youth to eliminate poverty. Keywords: Aged, Dependency, Economic Ratio, Population, GIS. Introduction Khairpur district has an area of 15910 sq km, considered as the largest district in Upper Sindh. It is the district in province of Sindh which has the same area when its status converted from a princely state to a district of Sindh Province. It is situated between 26 degree 11 minutes to 27 degree 44 minutes north latitude and 68 degree12 minutes to 70 degree 11 minutes east longitude (Map 1). Khairpur district consists of a great alluvial plain, very rich and fertile in the neighborhood of the River Indus and the irrigation canals, it also has a continuous series of sand-hill ridges covered with stunted brushwood, where cultivation is altogether impossible. A small ridge of limestone hills passes through the northern part of the state, being a continuation of a ridge known as the Ghar, running southwards from Rohri. It is watered by five canals drawn off from the Indus, besides the Eastern Nara, a canal which follows an old bed of the Indus. In the desert tracts are pits of natron. ISSN 2309-0081 Parveen, Parveen & Rehman (2021) 411 R S www.irss.academyirmbr.com January 2021 S International Review of Social Sciences Vol. 9 Issue.1 I Map 1 Poverty and Aged Population Poverty alleviation is a major item on the agenda of the federal government since 1999. With poverty alleviation as a salient objective before the government, a strategy towards poverty reduction was adopted in the shape of a mix of projects involving infrastructure development in various parts of the country. The basic idea underlying this strategy arose from the realization that the employment of the poor in development projects across the country would provide sufficient and appropriate level of income to a large number of people and would thus result in substantial reduction of poverty in the country (Ali and Sayyid 1999; Goheer, 1999). A poverty reduction strategy was sought to be revised, so that it could focus directly on the stratum of the poor as a distinct group in society (Peter, 2000; Raghaw, 1995; Hanumantha and Hans1996; Kemal and Moazam, 1997; Rashid and Kemal, 1997). The actual degree of poverty among aged people is highlighted fully by the population census of 1998. It also determined its causes and effects of aged dependency level which was shown through the minute data analysis. An investigation into the poverty of the aged can provide the basis of the strategy that is oriented directly to the section of the poor groups involved. A geographical analysis of that kind that takes into account the spatial pattern of the poor lies at the heart of the strategy which seeks poverty reduction on the regional level with distinct concentration of the aged. The difference of regional concentration of the poor and particularly of the aged will further provide the basis for relative emphases of policy and strategy for all the concerned people. Aged Population of District Khairpur by Taluka Khairpur district divided into eight talukas. The smallest area out of eight talukas is of KotDiji 520 sq kms and largest area is of Nara 11611 sq kms. Based on population Khairpur Taluka stands first and actual aged 60+ populations is high. Nara Taluka has lowest total population but highest aged 60+ population percentage that is 5.50 percent of its population and lowest aged 60+ populations prevail in Kingri Taluka (Census Report of Pakistan, 1998)(Table. 1, Fig. 1)(Map.2). ISSN 2309-0081 Parveen, Parveen & Rehman (2021) 412 R S www.irss.academyirmbr.com January 2021 S International Review of Social Sciences Vol. 9 Issue.1 I Table. 1 Khairpur District: Aged population percentage of District Population by Taluka 1998 Area Population Population Population Sq Km All ages Aged 60+ Percentage Aged 60+ Khairpur District 15,910 1,546,587 71072 4.60 FaizGanj Taluka 946 146436 7350 5.02 Gambat Taluka 582 173252 7893 4.56 Khairpur Taluka 585 288655 12635 4.38 Kingri Taluka 531 214066 9334 4.36 KotDiji Taluka 520 227968 10422 4.57 Mirwah Taluka 631 226373 10170 4.49 Nara Taluka 11611 92387 5083 5.50 SobhoDero Taluka 504 177450 8185 4.61 Based on Table 4 of Census Report of Pakistan, 1998. Fig.1 District Khairpur: Aged 60+ Population 6.00 by Taluka, 1998 5.00 4.00 3.00 Percent 2.00 1.00 0.00 Nara Faiz Ganj Sobho Kot Diji Gambat Mirwah Khairpur Kingri Dero Talukas Map. 2 ISSN 2309-0081 Parveen, Parveen & Rehman (2021) 413 R S www.irss.academyirmbr.com January 2021 S International Review of Social Sciences Vol. 9 Issue.1 I Employment Status of the Aged About 65 percent of the aged people in Pakistan are unemployed and this includes about 20 percent males and 45 percent females at national level. Beside these unemployed persons, there may be considerable number of individuals with insufficient income such as retired persons and also a substantial proportion of the employed. On the basis of the data roughly about 10 percent of such groups having insufficient income may be added to the number of the unemployed. This brings the percentage of the poor among aged to about 75 percent of the total aged population. This means that the poverty among the aged has an incredible dimension making it one of the highly disadvantaged poor groups in the society. (Census Report of Pakistan, 1998). In the province of Sindh Unemployed percentage of total aged population is 76.33 percent; out of that female unemployed percentage is higher that is 45.74 percent and ratio of male is 30.59 percent. Same pattern prevails in Rural and Urban categories in Sindh Province. While in District Khairpur in total aged population unemployed aged population percentage is low than the Sindh Province, in rural aged population percentage of unemployed aged is high but in urban aged population it is low than the Sindh Province(Census Report of Pakistan, 1998) (Table. 2, Fig.2). Table.2 Unemployed Aged 60+ Percentage of Sindh Province and Khairpur District, 1998 Total Rural Urban Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Pakistan 76.35 57.25 99.13 74.82 54.31 99.20 80.14 64.47 98.96 Sindh Province 76.33 30.59 45.74 73.25 27.31 45.94 79.87 34.36 45.51 Khairpur District 74.50 28.78 45.73 73.61 28.49 45.12 77.73 29.82 47.91 Based on Table 22 of Census Report of Pakistan, 1998 Fig. 2 Unemployed Percentage of Aged 60+ in Pakistan, Sindh Province and Khairpur District, 1998 100 90 Pakistan 80 Sindh 70 Khairpur 60 50 40 Percentage 30 20 10 0 Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female ISSN 2309-0081 Parveen, Parveen & Rehman (2021) 414 R S www.irss.academyirmbr.com January 2021 S International Review of Social Sciences Vol. 9 Issue.1 I Analysis of the Aged Dependency Situation on National Level Aged dependency is a matter of concern and serous evaluation, since it has larger implication beyond simple demographic relationship. Poverty and economic deprivation is one of serious dimensions that are illuminated and elaborated by the situation depicted through the dependency ratios for the whole country. The aged dependency pattern for Pakistan is analyzed and presented in Table 2. Highest dependency ratio occurs in rural aged female which is 12.94 and lowest prevails in urban aged female that is 8.55 on national level(Census Report of Pakistan, 1998)(Table. 3). Table.3 Pakistan Dependency Ratios, 1998 1 Total Aged 10.87 2 Total Aged Male 11.45 3 Total Aged Female 10.25 4 Rural Aged 12.06 5 Rural Aged Male 12.94 6 Rural Aged Female 11.14 7 Total Urban Aged 08.62 8 Urban Aged Male 08.84 9 Urban Aged Female 08.55 Based on Table 22 of Census Report of Pakistan, 1998 Objectives . To find out the aged dependency ratio using GIS approach. To analyze the pressure of aged population on young once at district level. Methodology For the study in hand, data has taken from the population census of Pakistan has been extensively used for the analysis which has almost entirely depended, on the population census as its exclusive and prime source of relevant information.