GovTwin / Institution
Cox's Bazar District
Local Gov
A southeastern coastal district anchored by the world's longest natural sea beach, tourism, marine fisheries, and salt production, but also host to the world's largest refugee settlement. It combines fast urban and tourism-driven growth with intense climate exposure on a cyclone-prone coastline and severe hill deforestation.
Wealth rank 54/64
(1 = poorest district)
Warming +0.67°C
(1980s–2020s)
Air NO₂ #61/64
(1 = most polluted)
Night-lights +235%
(2014–23 activity)
Built-up 47 km²
Forest loss 13,679 ha
(2001–23)
Rainfall 3,553 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
- climate disaster Extremely high rainfall on an exposed Bay of Bengal coastline (annual precipitation ~3,553 mm, among the wettest districts in the country) compounds cyclone, storm-surge, and flash-flood risk for low-lying coastal and refugee-camp populations. So what: Disaster losses and displacement recur annually, straining shelters, embankments, and humanitarian logistics for both host and refugee communities. Source: CHIRPS v2.0 precipitation (UCSB Climate Hazards Group) via Google Earth Engine
- environment Severe hill and forest clearance: roughly 13,679 hectares of tree-cover loss between 2001 and 2023, driven by camp expansion, fuelwood demand, and settlement, against a remaining tree cover of about 186 km2. So what: Denuded hill slopes raise landslide and flash-flood risk in the monsoon and erode the natural buffer protecting coastal and camp settlements. Source: Hansen Global Forest Change v1.11 (UMD) via Google Earth Engine
- urbanization Rapid built-up expansion (built-up area ~47 km2, up about 51% since 2000) and the country's 4th-fastest nightlights growth (about 235% increase) reflect unplanned tourism, settlement, and camp-driven sprawl. So what: Construction is outpacing drainage, water, and sanitation planning, locking in flood exposure and ecological damage along a fragile coast. Source: GHSL built-up surface (JRC) via Google Earth Engine
- poverty Persistent relative deprivation among the host population, ranking 54th of 64 districts on mean Relative Wealth Index (mean RWI 0.069), despite high-value tourism and fisheries. So what: Tourism and aid revenues are not translating into broad household welfare, leaving host communities economically squeezed alongside the refugee influx. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX), ~2.4 km grid
- social Concentration of a very large protracted refugee population strains land, forests, labor markets, water, and basic services in the host district. So what: Without durable host-community investment, resource competition and social tension can undermine both stability and humanitarian outcomes. Source: Department of Disaster Management
Probable solutions
- Strengthen coastal embankments, multipurpose cyclone shelters, and early-warning coverage for host and camp areas, integrated with monsoon flood forecasting. Responsible: Bangladesh Water Development Board / Department of Disaster Management · policy proposal
- Hill-slope reforestation and slope stabilization with alternative-fuel programs (LPG/efficient stoves) to cut fuelwood-driven clearance around camps and tourist zones. Responsible: Bangladesh Forest Department / Department of Environment · policy proposal
- Enforce a coastal-zone land-use and drainage master plan that channels tourism and settlement growth away from flood-prone and ecologically sensitive land. Responsible: Cox's Bazar Development Authority / LGED · policy proposal
- Host-community livelihood and infrastructure financing tied to refugee response, prioritizing fisheries value chains, skills, and basic services. Responsible: Local Government Division / Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner · policy proposal