GovTwin / Institution

Biral (Dinajpur)

Local Gov

A western border upazila of Dinajpur abutting India, agrarian in character and in the poorest national wealth decile.

Wealth rank 29/452 (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 is -0.324 (national rank 29 of 452, poorest decile), among the lowest in the district. So what: Deep deprivation limits households' ability to absorb shocks or invest. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX)
governance As a border upazila along the India frontier, it sits on cross-border smuggling and informal-trade routes that escape formal regulation. So what: Informal flows erode revenue and complicate local economic management. Source: Bangladesh Land Port Authority
water Granary-belt agriculture here relies on groundwater irrigation with scant permanent surface water. So what: Aquifer stress raises pumping costs and threatens dry-season supply. Source: Barind Multipurpose Development Authority

Probable solutions

Formalize and facilitate legitimate cross-border trade through proper land-port and customs infrastructure to curb smuggling. Responsible: Bangladesh Land Port Authority · Bangladesh Land Port Authority
Promote surface-water re-excavation and AWD irrigation to relieve groundwater stress in the granary. Responsible: Barind Multipurpose Development Authority · Barind Multipurpose Development Authority programmes