GovTwin / Institution
Jessore District
Local Gov
A landlocked southwestern district on the Indian border, Jessore anchors the regional vegetable and rice economy and serves as a road-rail gateway between Khulna and the Benapole land port. Its towns are urbanizing fast while the surrounding countryside remains a hot, dust-laden agricultural plain with little surface water.
Wealth rank 47/64
(1 = poorest district)
Warming +0.4°C
(1980s–2020s)
Air NO₂ #33/64
(1 = most polluted)
Night-lights +101%
(2014–23 activity)
Built-up 59 km²
Forest loss 72 ha
(2001–23)
Rainfall 1,683 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
- urbanization Built-up surface has expanded sharply, reaching 59.2 sq km recently after roughly 125% growth since 2000, converting peri-urban farmland and straining drainage and services around Jessore town and along the Benapole corridor. So what: Unplanned sprawl locks in flood-prone, underserviced settlement patterns that are expensive to retrofit later. Source: GHSL built-up surface (JRC) via Google Earth Engine
- poverty Jessore ranks 47th of 64 districts on mean Relative Wealth Index (1=poorest), placing it in the poorer half of the country despite its agricultural output and trade access. So what: Persistent low household wealth limits resilience to crop-price and climate shocks and keeps demand for safety nets high. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX), ~2.4 km grid
- air quality Aerosol loading is high, with recent AOD of 0.704 ranking Jessore 15th-worst of 64 districts, while tropospheric NO2 (35.8 umol/m2) ranks 33rd, reflecting dust, brick kilns and traffic on the cross-border route. So what: Sustained particulate exposure drives respiratory illness and cuts agricultural productivity through haze. Source: MODIS MAIAC aerosol optical depth (550 nm) via Google Earth Engine
- water Permanent surface water covers only 5.2 sq km, leaving the district heavily dependent on groundwater and seasonal flows for irrigation and supply. So what: Thin surface-water buffers make Jessore vulnerable to dry-season scarcity and over-abstraction of aquifers. Source: JRC Global Surface Water (permanent water) via Google Earth Engine
- climate disaster Recent daytime land surface temperatures average 27.4 C and air has warmed by 0.4 C, sustaining intense pre-monsoon heat over an exposed agricultural plain. So what: Heat stress threatens farm labor health and boro/vegetable yields during the critical hot season. Source: MODIS MOD11A2 land surface temperature (daytime) via Google Earth Engine
Probable solutions
- Enforce a structure plan and drainage master plan for Jessore Pourashava and the Benapole growth corridor, directing built-up expansion away from low-lying floodplains. Responsible: Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) · policy proposal
- Convert fixed-chimney brick kilns to cleaner zigzag/block technology and tighten kiln siting and vehicle-emission checks along the trade route. Responsible: Department of Environment · Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kiln Establishment (Control) Act
- Expand surface-water harvesting, re-excavate canals and ponds, and promote water-efficient irrigation to reduce groundwater dependence and buffer dry-season heat. Responsible: Bangladesh Water Development Board · policy proposal
- Strengthen agro-processing, cold storage and market linkages for Jessore's vegetable and flower belt to raise farm-gate incomes. Responsible: Department of Agricultural Extension · policy proposal