GovTwin / Institution

Kalapara (Patuakhali)

Local Gov

A Bay-facing coastal upazila and site of the Payra port-and-power buildout, combining a fast-growing industrial frontier with deep coastal poverty.

Wealth rank 31/452 (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

  1. economy The Payra port-and-power buildout has concentrated industrial investment here, yet local household wealth and resident incomes lag far behind the surge in built infrastructure. So what: Growth bypasses the resident poor without deliberate linkages. Source: Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA)
  2. poverty Household wealth is very low, with a Relative Wealth Index mean of -0.32 placing Kalapara in the bottom decile (rank 31 of 452 upazilas), despite the nearby port-and-power investment. So what: Megaproject growth has not lifted local living standards. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX)
  3. climate disaster Directly on the Bay of Bengal in a high-rainfall district, the upazila is acutely exposed to cyclones, storm surge and salinity intrusion. So what: Coastal disasters threaten both communities and new infrastructure. Source: Department of Disaster Management

Probable solutions