GovTwin / Institution

Mahalchhari (Khagrachhari)

Local Gov

A central hill upazila of Khagrachhari on the Chengi river, with valley paddy, jhum and fruit horticulture among mixed hill communities.

Wealth rank 39/452 (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

poverty Mean Relative Wealth Index of -0.3 (national rank 39 of 452, decile 1) places Mahalchhari among the poorest upazilas nationally, driven by low-productivity hill farming and weak connectivity. So what: Limited non-farm work keeps household incomes low. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX)
climate disaster Heavy monsoon rainfall on cleared slopes drives flash floods and landslides through the river valley. So what: Valley and hillside settlements face sudden inundation and slope failure. Source: Department of Disaster Management
environment Continued jhum and settlement expansion strip hill tree cover, destabilizing soils and dry-season streamflow. So what: Erosion and water shortfall intensify on bare slopes. Source: Bangladesh Forest Department

Probable solutions

Boost valley-paddy and fruit-horticulture productivity and link producers to plains markets via feeder roads and extension. Responsible: Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board / Ministry of CHT Affairs · policy proposal
Reforest and agroforest cleared hill slopes to stabilize soils and moderate dry-season streamflow. Responsible: Bangladesh Forest Department · policy proposal