GovTwin / Institution
Munshiganj District
Local Gov
A low-lying riverine district just south of Dhaka at the confluence of the Padma, Meghna and Dhaleshwari, Munshiganj is famed for potato cultivation and is highly exposed to river erosion and flooding. Its position on the Dhaka fringe has pushed both urbanization and air pollution upward, with NO2 among the worst in the country.
Wealth rank 60/64
(1 = poorest district)
Warming +0.62°C
(1980s–2020s)
Air NO₂ #4/64
(1 = most polluted)
Night-lights +79%
(2014–23 activity)
Built-up 25 km²
Forest loss 24 ha
(2001–23)
Rainfall 2,050 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 Sitting at the Padma-Meghna-Dhaleshwari confluence with 70.9 km2 of permanent water, Munshiganj faces severe seasonal flooding and chronic riverbank erosion that consume farmland and homesteads. So what: River erosion permanently destroys productive land and displaces households, a recurring shock that resets livelihoods each flood season. Source: JRC Global Surface Water (permanent water) via Google Earth Engine
- air quality Munshiganj records the 4th-highest tropospheric NO2 of 64 districts at 119.0 umol/m2, driven by its proximity to Dhaka, river-port and industrial traffic. So what: A rural-agricultural district carrying near top-tier NO2 exposes both farmers and a growing peri-urban population to a serious air-quality health burden. Source: Sentinel-5P tropospheric NO2 via Google Earth Engine
- agriculture The district economy is heavily anchored on potato, which depends on stable floodplain land and adequate cold storage; flood exposure and erosion threaten the cropland this single commodity needs. So what: Concentration in one perishable crop with limited storage leaves farmers exposed to both land loss and post-harvest price collapse. Source: Department of Agricultural Extension
- urbanization Built-up surface has expanded about 44 percent since 2000 to 25.4 km2 as Dhaka's growth spills south across new bridge and highway links, converting floodplain into settlement. So what: Building on an active floodplain raises exposure to the very flooding the district is already prone to, while shrinking farmland. Source: GHSL built-up surface (JRC) via Google Earth Engine
- climate disaster Daytime surface heat is trending up 0.49 C to a recent 27.5 C alongside 0.62 C of air warming, adding heat stress in a district with limited tree cover of 86 km2. So what: Rising heat strains both field labour and the cold-chain needs of a potato economy already short on storage. Source: MODIS MOD11A2 land surface temperature (daytime) via Google Earth Engine
Probable solutions
- Invest in riverbank protection (revetments, geo-bag/CC-block embankments) and erosion-prediction monitoring at the Padma-Meghna-Dhaleshwari confluence. Responsible: Bangladesh Water Development Board · policy proposal
- Tighten emission controls on brick kilns and river-port and highway traffic feeding the Dhaka-fringe corridor through Munshiganj. Responsible: Department of Environment · Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kiln Establishment (Control) Act
- Expand cold-storage capacity and diversify cropping beyond potato to reduce post-harvest losses and price-shock exposure. Responsible: Department of Agricultural Extension · policy proposal
- Enforce floodplain-protective zoning and an integrated land-use plan to steer Dhaka-driven expansion away from active flood and erosion zones. Responsible: Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) / LGED · policy proposal