GovTwin / Institution

Khetlal (Joypurhat)

Local Gov

A small Joypurhat upazila of intensive Barind-tract agriculture reliant on groundwater irrigation.

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. water Khetlal's agriculture depends wholly on Barind groundwater in a district with effectively no permanent surface water, exposing irrigation to falling water tables. So what: Groundwater dependence makes irrigation costly and unsustainable over time. Source: Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA)
2. air quality Brick kilns and seasonal biomass burning in the area contribute to the district's high aerosol loading. So what: Poor air quality raises respiratory health risks for residents. Source: Department of Environment
3. poverty Khetlal's RWI mean of -0.169 sits in a lower-middle wealth decile among upazilas, indicating modest wealth. So what: Modest wealth offers limited buffer against agricultural and environmental stress. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX)

Probable solutions

• Promote groundwater-conserving irrigation: alternate wetting-and-drying for rice, buried-pipe networks and metered solar pumping Responsible: Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) · policy proposal
• Enforce conversion of brick kilns to cleaner technology and regulate seasonal biomass and residue burning Responsible: Department of Environment · policy proposal