GovTwin / Institution
Kishoreganj District
Local Gov
A largely rural haor district in the northeast of Dhaka division, Kishoreganj is defined by its vast seasonal wetlands, single-crop boro paddy and one of the lower wealth standings in this cluster. Its open, water-rich landscape keeps air pollution comparatively modest but exposes it to flash floods and intense monsoon rainfall.
Wealth rank 23/64
(1 = poorest district)
Warming +0.8°C
(1980s–2020s)
Air NO₂ #31/64
(1 = most polluted)
Night-lights +123%
(2014–23 activity)
Built-up 39 km²
Forest loss 90 ha
(2001–23)
Rainfall 2,306 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
- climate disaster Kishoreganj receives the highest annual rainfall in this cluster at 2306 mm, feeding the haor basin where early flash floods routinely threaten the single boro rice harvest before it can be cut. So what: A single pre-harvest flash flood can wipe out a year of food and income for haor farming households, making flood timing the district's central economic risk. Source: CHIRPS v2.0 precipitation (UCSB Climate Hazards Group) via Google Earth Engine
- poverty Kishoreganj sits at a mean Relative Wealth Index of -0.11, ranking 23rd of 64 (1 = poorest), among the poorer districts in this otherwise prosperous central cluster. So what: Below-average household wealth in a flood-exposed, single-crop economy leaves families with little buffer against a bad haor season. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX), ~2.4 km grid
- agriculture The economy is heavily concentrated in single-season boro paddy grown across the haors, leaving little crop diversification and full exposure to one harvest window. So what: Monocrop dependence means weather shocks translate directly into district-wide income and food shortfalls with no fallback crop. Source: Department of Agricultural Extension
- climate disaster Air temperature has warmed 0.8 C, the largest warming in this cluster, intensifying pre-monsoon heat and altering the narrow window for boro maturation and harvest. So what: Faster warming compresses the safe harvest window and raises the odds that the crop is still in the field when flash floods arrive. Source: ERA5-Land reanalysis (Copernicus/ECMWF) via Google Earth Engine, district mean
- infrastructure Across the haor expanse, all-weather road connectivity is limited and seasonal water isolates communities, complicating access to markets, health facilities and emergency response. So what: Seasonal isolation raises the cost of every service and slows disaster response precisely when flood risk peaks. Source: LGED
Probable solutions
- Maintain, raise and properly time the opening of haor submersible embankments (afal/early-warning protected dykes) to protect boro paddy until harvest. Responsible: Bangladesh Water Development Board · Haor Master Plan
- Promote and distribute short-duration, early-maturing boro rice varieties so the crop can be harvested before the typical flash-flood window. Responsible: Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) / Department of Agricultural Extension · policy proposal
- Expand haor-specific social protection and crop insurance plus alternative livelihoods (fisheries, duck rearing) to diversify income beyond single-crop paddy. Responsible: Department of Disaster Management · policy proposal
- Extend all-weather submersible roads and water-based emergency transport linking haor unions to upazila markets and health centres. Responsible: LGED · Haor Master Plan