GovTwin / Institution
Mymensingh District
Local Gov
A large agrarian district on the Old Brahmaputra plain that anchors Bangladesh's newest division and hosts Bangladesh Agricultural University. Its economy rests on rice, fisheries and a fast-growing divisional capital, but built-up expansion and the highest night-light growth in the cluster sit alongside persistent rural poverty.
Wealth rank 29/64
(1 = poorest district)
Warming +0.7°C
(1980s–2020s)
Air NO₂ #18/64
(1 = most polluted)
Night-lights +97%
(2014–23 activity)
Built-up 100 km²
Forest loss 734 ha
(2001–23)
Rainfall 2,287 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
- poverty Below-average household wealth (mean Relative Wealth Index -0.077), ranking 29th-poorest of 64 districts despite divisional-capital status So what: Rapid town growth is not lifting the surrounding rural majority, leaving a wealth gap a divisional headquarters is expected to close. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX), ~2.4 km grid
- urbanization Built-up surface has grown 54% since 2000 to 99.8 km2, the largest urban footprint in the cluster, with night-light radiance up 97% So what: Unplanned peri-urban sprawl around Mymensingh city outpaces drainage, roads and services, locking in future congestion and waterlogging. Source: GHSL built-up surface (JRC) via Google Earth Engine
- air quality Tropospheric NO2 of 41.1 umol/m2 ranks 18th-highest of 64 districts, the worst in this four-district cluster So what: Combustion from a growing vehicle fleet and brick kilns is raising a respiratory-disease burden in the densest part of the new division. Source: Sentinel-5P tropospheric NO2 via Google Earth Engine
- climate disaster High annual rainfall of 2287 mm on the flood-prone Old Brahmaputra floodplain, with air temperature warming 0.7 C So what: Monsoon flooding repeatedly damages standing crops and rural infrastructure, and warming compounds heat stress on farm labour. Source: CHIRPS v2.0 precipitation (UCSB Climate Hazards Group) via Google Earth Engine
- water Negligible permanent surface water (0.0 km2), leaving dry-season irrigation dependent on groundwater and seasonal rivers So what: Falling dry-season water availability threatens boro rice yields and raises groundwater-pumping costs for smallholders. Source: JRC Global Surface Water (permanent water) via Google Earth Engine
Probable solutions
- Prepare and enforce a master plan and drainage scheme for the expanding Mymensingh city corporation area to channel growth and prevent waterlogging Responsible: Mymensingh City Corporation and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) · policy proposal
- Phase out fixed-chimney brick kilns to cleaner zigzag/block technology and enforce vehicle emission checks in the divisional capital Responsible: Department of Environment · Brick Manufacturing and Kiln Establishment (Control) Act
- Expand surface-water irrigation and rural enterprise support through agricultural extension to raise smallholder incomes Responsible: Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation and Department of Agricultural Extension · policy proposal
- Strengthen Old Brahmaputra embankments and roll out flood-tolerant rice varieties with early-warning dissemination Responsible: Bangladesh Water Development Board · policy proposal