GovTwin / Institution

Pirganj (Rangpur)

Local Gov

A southern upland upazila of Rangpur on the plateau fringe of the northwest, with an agrarian economy of paddy, potato and maize.

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

1. poverty Severe rural poverty, with a mean Relative Wealth Index of -0.376 placing Pirganj in the poorest decile of upazilas nationally. So what: Extreme asset poverty leaves households with little buffer against the lean season. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX)
2. poverty Seasonal monga food insecurity recurs in the lean period before harvest, hitting landless farm labour hardest. So what: Lean-season hunger drives distress borrowing and asset sales. Source: Department of Disaster Management
3. agriculture Limited permanent surface water leaves dry-season cropping reliant on groundwater irrigation. So what: Groundwater dependence raises pumping costs and pressures the aquifer. Source: Barind Multipurpose Development Authority

Probable solutions

• Target seasonal employment and cash support timed to the lean season under monga-mitigation programming Responsible: Department of Disaster Management / Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief · monga-mitigation programming
• Expand surface-water harvesting, re-excavate canals and promote alternate wetting and drying and low-lift surface irrigation to reduce groundwater dependence Responsible: Barind Multipurpose Development Authority / Department of Agricultural Extension · policy proposal