GovTwin / Institution
Meherpur District
Local Gov
The smallest district in Bangladesh, in the far west on the Indian border, with an economy built on irrigated agriculture, vegetables and sugarcane on the Ganges-fed plain. It carries some of the country's worst aerosol pollution, has essentially no permanent surface water, and shows only modest economic-activity growth.
Wealth rank 36/64
(1 = poorest district)
Warming +0.44°C
(1980s–2020s)
Air NO₂ #17/64
(1 = most polluted)
Night-lights +88%
(2014–23 activity)
Built-up 20 km²
Forest loss 18 ha
(2001–23)
Rainfall 1,528 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 0.736 is the 4th-worst of 64 districts, and tropospheric NO2 of 41.2 umol/m2 ranks 17th of 64, reflecting heavy transboundary haze and local kiln and biomass emissions on the western border. So what: Among the country's highest aerosol burdens, with direct respiratory and crop-yield consequences for residents. Source: MODIS MAIAC aerosol optical depth (550 nm) via Google Earth Engine
- water The district has 0.0 km2 of permanent surface water, leaving its irrigated agriculture almost wholly dependent on groundwater in a Ganges-dependent western zone prone to dry-season scarcity. So what: Total reliance on groundwater makes the farm economy acutely vulnerable to falling water tables and arsenic risk. Source: JRC Global Surface Water (permanent water) via Google Earth Engine
- economy Nighttime lights grew just 88% (ranked 36th of 64) and built-up surface only 30% since 2000, the slowest expansion among the assigned districts, indicating economic stagnation relative to faster-growing peers. So what: Lagging activity growth signals weak job creation and out-migration pressure from a remote border district. Source: VIIRS nighttime lights (annual radiance) via Google Earth Engine
- poverty Mean Relative Wealth Index of -0.055 places the district 36th poorest of 64, below the national average and consistent with its narrow agrarian base. So what: Persistent below-average wealth limits local revenue and resilience to climate or market shocks. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX), ~2.4 km grid
- climate disaster With the lowest rainfall among the assigned districts at 1528 mm and regional air warming of 0.44 C, the western plain faces drought and heat stress during the dry season. So what: Drought-prone conditions threaten the sugarcane and vegetable crops that anchor the local economy. Source: CHIRPS v2.0 precipitation (UCSB Climate Hazards Group) via Google Earth Engine
Probable solutions
- Accelerate conversion of brick kilns to cleaner technology and curb open biomass burning, coordinated with cross-border air-quality monitoring. Responsible: Department of Environment · Brick Manufacturing and Kiln Establishment (Control) Act
- Promote surface-water harvesting, alternate wetting-and-drying irrigation and crop diversification away from water-intensive rice to ease groundwater stress. Responsible: Barind Multipurpose Development Authority / Department of Agricultural Extension · policy proposal
- Develop agro-processing and border-trade infrastructure to add value locally and stem out-migration. Responsible: Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) · policy proposal
- Target rural livelihood and microfinance programs to the district's agrarian poor to lift below-average wealth. Responsible: Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) · policy proposal