Kohlu (Balochistan)
Kahlu is a district in Balochistan Province at a distance of 350 km from Quetta. It is accessible by Ziarat Road via Ziarat district and following Duki Road which further joins Kohlu-Sibi Road that leads to Kohlu. There are numerous barren and desert like ranges of the Sulaiman Mountain Range in the district.
Kohlu district is bounded by Loralai, Dera Bugti, Barkhan, and Sibi districts.The Dera-Bugti-Sibi Road is runs across the center of the district and is a quick passage to connect other towns in the district. Kohlu-Sibi road is one of the main road that runs in the district and can be used to access other towns in the district, which also connects with Barkhan and Quetta districts. It is also connected with railway track on Quetta-Rohri railway track.
Most of the land of the district is barren and rugged mountain of the Sulaiman Mountain range due to shortage of water. Senr Nala, Manjira, and the Chakar River are the seasonal streams which are the main source of water in this area. Limited area is cultivated to grow various crops such as wheat, maize, corn, etc, by using rain water and karezes. On the passage of various streams, some fruit orchards are grown those can produce various fruits such as grapes, peaches, apples, etc. The main profession of the people of Kohlu district is farming.
Most of the landscape of the Kohlu district is barren mountains where only weeds and shrubs can be seen, but it has a scenic beauty due to multiple colors of mountain. Some the land becomes lush green due to water streams in the area, where you can see large fields of crops as well as fruit orchards.
The Shrine of Mast Tawakali is tourist attraction in the Kohlu district in Mast Maidan Gari. He as a great 19th century Sufi poet of Balochi language. He fallen in love with a lady name Samoo and his poetry ascends to God after starting from virtual love. His poetry also related to suffering of common men due to the feudal system.
District Kohlu is enriched with oil and gas reserves as well as the largest reserves of coal. Chamalang Coal Mines, one of the largest coal mine in Pakistan, is located in the district of Kohlu, Barkhan, and Loraali. It covers an area of 500 square miles. It is discovered in 1885 under the British Government. It is also the second largest coal mine in Asia continent. It also produces the best quality coal in Pakistan. It can be accessed via Mekhtar-Chamalang road from the town of Mekhtar on the National Highway N-70, otherwise turn left from Lasi town from Kahlu on the Kohlu-Barkhan road.
The weather of the Kohlu dstrict is extreme hot in summer season due to barren mountains of the Sulaiman Mountain range, whereas in winters, the weather becomes cold and sometimes temperature falls below zero. There is a negligible amount of rainfalls in the monsoon period during July to September.