Khrew is located at. It has an average elevation of 1,607 metres and is located in the Kashmir valley. The area starts from Babapora till Seer and from Bathen to Androosa. Also the foot region is extended to Ladhoo, a village in Jammu and Kashmir. Indiacensus, Khrew had a population of 18,411. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Khrew has an average literacy rate of 42%, lower than the national average of 65.8%; male literacy is 22.08%, and female literacy is 20.00%. In Khrew, 17% of the population is under 15 years of age.
Climate
Religion
Khrew is a majority-Muslim area with 82% of people practising Islam. Hinduism and Sikhism, respectively, follow Islam as the most-practiced religions in the town.
Health
Khrew contains one government hospital with approx 20 beds. This hospital provides basic health-care facilities to its patients. At present 6 cement factories are operating in the area, which although are a major source of employment for locals have led to a lot of pollution in the area. Kashmir Cement Project established the first cement factory in the region. Six cement plants include government sponsored JK cements, TCI Max, HK cements, Cemtac, ARCO, ICC cements. Hundreds of trucks also pass in and out of these plants every day to transport raw material and manufactured cement bags.According to the report from the World Health Organization, Khrew has a more death rate than any other town in the district due to the emission of poisonous gases. Factories release 100,000 kilograms of toxic fumes, poisonous gases and life-threatening elements in the air per day. Lung disease is the primarily cause of fume-related fatalities, followed by kidney failure and heart diseases. The release of the poisonous gases was found to be the responsible factor for these conditions, according to the report. The report also suggested that pollution control should intervene and check on a monthly basis whether the pollution control devices in the factories are functioning properly. Khrew has a majority of population who have directly or indirectly lung or another pulmonary disease. God forbid if Covid-19 is spreading in the town, khrew will have more casualties than other areas of the valley.
Holy places
Khrew is also famous for an important temple of Kashmiri Hindus. It is a temple which is dedicated to Jawala Bhagwati - the Goddess of fire. In December 2014 this temple caught fire unfortunately due to short-circuiting. Now it is renovated in new design. The old wooden structure is now changed to iron and steel The temple is reached by a flight of stone steps. Mela Jawala Mukhi is held here annually on the 14th day of the bright fortnight of Savan when pilgrims visit this shrine from all corners of the country. At the bottom of the hillock is a spring where people take a dip before making the ascent. The famous Sufi mystic and poet Wahab Khar was born in Khrew. He was a disciple of Sabir Shah, another famous muslim mystic, also resting in Khrew.
