GovTwin / Institution
Chuadanga District
Local Gov
A small, hot, dry border district on the western frontier with India, Chuadanga is intensively farmed for paddy, sugarcane, and vegetables. It is among the hottest places in the country in summer and carries some of the nation's worst aerosol haze, yet has essentially no permanent surface water of its own.
Wealth rank 37/64
(1 = poorest district)
Warming +0.43°C
(1980s–2020s)
Air NO₂ #25/64
(1 = most polluted)
Night-lights +90%
(2014–23 activity)
Built-up 32 km²
Forest loss 38 ha
(2001–23)
Rainfall 1,638 mm/yr
Indicators: Meta RWI (HDX); ERA5-Land; MODIS; Sentinel-5P; VIIRS night-lights; GHSL; Hansen v1.11; CHIRPS v2.0. Exposure: GloFAS v2.1, FABDEM, MODIS LST, ACAG PM2.5, WorldPop 2020.
Problems and issues
- air quality Aerosol optical depth of 0.73 ranks Chuadanga 7th-worst of 64 districts, the heaviest particulate haze in this border belt, while NO2 of 38.9 umol/m2 ranks 25th nationally. So what: Among the worst aerosol burdens in the country drives respiratory illness and cuts crop and solar productivity in a district with weak health capacity. Source: MODIS MAIAC aerosol optical depth (550 nm) via Google Earth Engine
- water Permanent surface water is effectively zero (0.0 km2), so all dry-season irrigation and water supply comes from groundwater. So what: Total groundwater dependence in a hot, dry district makes the aquifer the single point of failure for both agriculture and drinking water. Source: JRC Global Surface Water (permanent water) via Google Earth Engine
- climate disaster Recent daytime land-surface temperature of 27.9 C with 0.43 C air warming, against the lowest district rainfall of 1638 mm, marks Chuadanga as a national heat-and-drought hotspot. So what: Extreme summer heat raises heat-stress mortality and labor loss while dry-season moisture stress threatens paddy and sugarcane yields. Source: MODIS MOD11A2 land surface temperature (daytime) via Google Earth Engine
- poverty A Relative Wealth Index of -0.051 places Chuadanga 37th of 64, a below-average border economy reliant on agriculture and informal cross-border trade. So what: Thin formal employment leaves households exposed to heat and crop shocks, so resilience spending must pair with income diversification. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX), ~2.4 km grid
- agriculture NDVI rose 0.085 to a recent 0.588, reflecting intensive irrigated cropping that deepens groundwater draw in a zero-surface-water district. So what: Greening built on aquifer-fed irrigation is not sustainable if the water table keeps falling, risking a future irrigation crisis. Source: MODIS MOD13A1 NDVI via Google Earth Engine
Probable solutions
- Phase out fixed-chimney brick kilns in favor of cleaner kiln technology and enforce seasonal bans on open biomass burning to cut aerosol loading. Responsible: Department of Environment · Brick Manufacturing and Kiln Establishment (Control) Act
- Promote alternate wetting and drying and water-efficient crops, with managed aquifer recharge to slow groundwater depletion. Responsible: Barind Multipurpose Development Authority and Department of Agricultural Extension · policy proposal
- Roll out a district heat-action plan with early warning, shaded public spaces, and adjusted outdoor-work hours during extreme heat. Responsible: Department of Disaster Management · policy proposal
- Formalize and modernize border-zone agro-trade and SME credit to broaden income beyond rain-fed and aquifer-fed cropping. Responsible: SME Foundation · policy proposal