GovTwin / Institution
Narsingdi District
Local Gov
A textile and handloom district northeast of Dhaka on the Meghna and Shitalakshya river system, Narsingdi pairs a dense weaving and dyeing industry with intensive vegetable and fruit agriculture. It is a relatively prosperous district whose factory cluster has pushed its air toward the worst NO2 tier nationally even as its economic-activity growth has stalled.
Wealth rank 58/64
(1 = poorest district)
Warming +0.7°C
(1980s–2020s)
Air NO₂ #5/64
(1 = most polluted)
Night-lights +58%
(2014–23 activity)
Built-up 30 km²
Forest loss 49 ha
(2001–23)
Rainfall 2,028 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
- air quality Narsingdi has the 5th-highest tropospheric NO2 of 64 districts at 77.3 umol/m2, reflecting its concentration of dyeing, weaving and textile-processing units. So what: High NO2 over a manufacturing district imposes a hidden health tax on the same workers the local economy depends on. Source: Sentinel-5P tropospheric NO2 via Google Earth Engine
- economy Nightlights growth of 58 percent ranks 60th of 64, among the slowest in the country, indicating economic-activity expansion has largely stalled relative to peer districts. So what: Near-stagnant activity growth in a traditional textile hub signals an industry losing competitiveness and in need of upgrading. Source: VIIRS nighttime lights (annual radiance) via Google Earth Engine
- environment Dyeing and washing effluent from the textile cluster discharges into the Meghna-Shitalakshya system, degrading surface water that supports the district's 40.2 km2 of permanent water and downstream irrigation. So what: Contaminated rivers undermine both the vegetable agriculture and the fisheries that diversify the local economy. Source: Department of Environment
- urbanization Built-up surface has grown about 44 percent since 2000 to 30.3 km2, spreading along the Dhaka corridor and converting farmland and floodplain into unplanned settlement. So what: Rapid built-up growth without planning erodes the productive vegetable belt and raises future flood and drainage costs. Source: GHSL built-up surface (JRC) via Google Earth Engine
- climate disaster Air temperature has warmed 0.7 C with daytime surface heat trending up 0.38 C to a recent 27.2 C, adding heat stress to dye houses and field labour alike. So what: Rising heat raises cooling and irrigation costs and threatens worker productivity across both factories and farms. Source: ERA5-Land reanalysis (Copernicus/ECMWF) via Google Earth Engine, district mean
Probable solutions
- Cluster textile units into a managed industrial park with shared, monitored effluent treatment and emission controls to cut both NO2 and river pollution. Responsible: Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) / Department of Environment · policy proposal
- Provide technology-upgrade financing and skills training to modernise the handloom and textile cluster and lift productivity out of stagnation. Responsible: Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) · policy proposal
- Enforce mandatory functioning ETPs and real-time effluent monitoring at dyeing units discharging into the Meghna-Shitalakshya system. Responsible: Department of Environment · Environment Conservation Rules (ETP requirement)
- Adopt and enforce a district land-use plan that protects the vegetable belt and floodplain from unplanned built-up conversion along the Dhaka corridor. Responsible: LGED · policy proposal