GovTwin / Institution

Ishwardi (Pabna)

Local Gov

Pabna's industrial and rail-junction hub, home to the EPZ and the Rooppur nuclear power project, urbanizing rapidly.

Wealth rank 323/452 (1 = poorest upazila)

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

  1. urbanization As the core of the Ishwardi/Rooppur industrial belt, Ishwardi is absorbing the district's fastest built-up expansion, with settlement spreading ahead of land-use planning. So what: Unplanned growth consumes farmland and outpaces serviced housing and infrastructure. Source: Rajshahi Development Authority (RDA) / LGED
  2. air quality Industrial activity and brick kilns concentrated in the Ishwardi belt raise local aerosol and combustion emissions. So what: Worsening local air quality harms residents and nearby agriculture. Source: Department of Environment (DoE)
  3. economy Rapid Rooppur- and EPZ-driven growth has not yet linked strongly to local labour and the handloom/dairy value chains (upazila RWI 0.044, national rank 323/452, poverty decile 8 of 10). So what: Without supplier and skills links, megaproject gains bypass Pabna's own workforce. Source: SME Foundation

Probable solutions