GovTwin / Institution

Barura (Comilla)

Local Gov

A densely settled, intensively triple-cropped rural upazila in western Comilla, remittance-supported and dependent on groundwater irrigation.

Wealth rank 442/452 (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

agriculture Intensive triple-cropping on Barura's fertile land raises dry-season irrigation demand while local surface water is scarce, deepening reliance on groundwater for boro paddy. So what: Falling water tables raise pumping costs and threaten the irrigated cropping that underpins farm incomes. Source: Department of Agricultural Extension
water Domestic and irrigation supply lean almost entirely on groundwater because the upazila has little permanent surface water to fall back on. So what: Continued abstraction risks dry-season shortages for both households and farms. Source: Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE)

Probable solutions

Re-excavate khals and ponds and promote surface-water harvesting to ease groundwater dependence for irrigation. Responsible: Bangladesh Water Development Board · policy proposal
Promote water-efficient irrigation and alternate wetting and drying on boro paddy to slow aquifer drawdown. Responsible: Department of Agricultural Extension · policy proposal