GovTwin / Institution
Naogaon District
Local Gov
A landlocked, agriculture-dependent district on the northwest Barind tract, one of the poorest in Bangladesh by relative wealth. It is a major rice surplus producer but carries little surface water and severe seasonal aerosol pollution.
Wealth rank 12/64
(1 = poorest district)
Warming +0.44°C
(1980s–2020s)
Air NO₂ #30/64
(1 = most polluted)
Night-lights +80%
(2014–23 activity)
Built-up 87 km²
Forest loss 123 ha
(2001–23)
Rainfall 1,598 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
- poverty Mean Relative Wealth Index of -0.182 ranks Naogaon 12th-poorest of 64 districts, among the lowest in the country. So what: Deep, broad-based poverty limits household resilience to any agricultural or climate shock and constrains local revenue for services. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX), ~2.4 km grid
- air quality Aerosol optical depth of 0.734 ranks Naogaon 5th-worst of 64 districts, indicating very heavy particulate haze, consistent with crop-residue burning and brick-kiln and transboundary smoke. So what: Severe particulate loading is a leading driver of respiratory disease and reduces crop-relevant sunlight, with almost no local monitoring or mitigation. Source: MODIS MAIAC aerosol optical depth (550 nm) via Google Earth Engine
- water Only 3.2 km2 of permanent surface water against 1598 mm of annual rainfall means the district relies almost entirely on groundwater for dry-season Barind irrigation. So what: Groundwater dependence for boro rice risks aquifer drawdown and rising irrigation cost, a structural threat to the rice surplus. Source: JRC Global Surface Water (permanent water) via Google Earth Engine
- economy Nightlights grew only 80 percent, ranking 40th of 64 in growth pace, signalling slow economic diversification beyond paddy. So what: Lagging non-farm activity keeps a poor district trapped in a low-value agricultural base with few wage alternatives. Source: VIIRS nighttime lights (annual radiance) via Google Earth Engine
- environment Despite 314.0 km2 of tree cover in 2021, the district recorded 122.6 hectares of forest loss between 2001 and 2023. So what: Continued tree-cover loss in an already dry tract erodes shade, soil moisture, and fuelwood for poor rural households. Source: Hansen Global Forest Change v1.11 (UMD) via Google Earth Engine
Probable solutions
- Scale rural non-farm livelihood and social-protection support targeting the poorest unions to diversify income beyond paddy. Responsible: Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) · policy proposal
- Expand Barind dry-season water management through buried-pipe irrigation, surface-water re-excavation of ponds and canals, and groundwater monitoring. Responsible: Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) · policy proposal
- Enforce brick-kiln conversion to cleaner technology and curb crop-residue burning, paired with district air-quality monitoring. Responsible: Department of Environment · policy proposal
- Community social forestry and roadside/embankment plantation to restore lost tree cover in the dry tract. Responsible: Bangladesh Forest Department · policy proposal