Alowalਅਲੋਵਲ

Where is Alowal?

Alowal is a village of Balachaur tehsil in SBS Nagar district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Garhshankar, about 13 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Saroya community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 032512, and it covers 232 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 1,038 people in Alowal: 505 men and 533 women, living in 201 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 232 hectares, the population density works out to about 447 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1055 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 114, about 11 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 888 people, about 86 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 80.84 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 89.04 per cent and women at 73.46 per cent. The census recorded 242 workers, about 23 per cent of the village. Of the 99 main workers, the largest group, 67, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 20 cultivators on their own land and 11 household industry workers. A further 143 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Alowal's land. Of the village's 232 hectares, 207 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. About 20 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. With 22 cultivators and 12 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

Schools and facilities

For village facilities, the Census 2011 Village Directory is the fullest record available. Education in the village runs through one government primary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Treated tap water was available in the village. It also had mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Alowal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a public bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Garhshankar, about 13 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Balachaur, the tehsil headquarters, and Nawanshahr, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Dial, Sahungra, Aima and Kulpur.

What is the population of Alowal?

The population of Alowal was 1,038 at the 2011 census, living in 201 households in Balachaur tehsil of SBS Nagar district.

What facilities does Alowal have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Alowal has a government primary school and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.