GovTwin / Institution

Panchhari (Khagrachhari)

Local Gov

A remote northern hill upazila of Khagrachhari near the Indian frontier, deep in jhum-and-valley country with predominantly indigenous communities.

Wealth rank 13/452 (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 -0.433 (national rank 13 of 452, decile 1) makes Panchhari one of the poorest upazilas in Bangladesh, driven by isolation and low-productivity hill farming. So what: Households face deep deprivation with scant cash income. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX)
climate disaster Heavy monsoon rainfall on deforested slopes drives flash floods and landslides through this remote terrain. So what: Scattered hill settlements are isolated and endangered during the monsoon. Source: Department of Disaster Management
water Absence of permanent surface water leaves households reliant on seasonal streams and springs that fail in the dry months. So what: Dry-season drinking water becomes scarce. Source: Department of Public Health Engineering

Probable solutions

Improve feeder roads, cold storage and extension to lift valley-paddy and horticulture incomes and reach markets. Responsible: Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board / Ministry of CHT Affairs · policy proposal
Spring-source protection, rainwater harvesting and small storage to secure dry-season drinking water. Responsible: Department of Public Health Engineering · policy proposal