GovTwin / Institution

Phulbari (Kurigram)

Local Gov

A small northern border upazila of Kurigram near the Dharla, an impoverished agrarian community of subsistence farming.

Wealth rank 55/452 (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

poverty A mean Relative Wealth Index of -0.274 (national rank 55/452, second decile) makes Phulbari one of the very poorest upazilas nationally, reflecting acute deprivation in Kurigram's char and border zone. So what: Extreme poverty leaves households with almost no buffer against flood and lean-season shocks. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX)
climate disaster Near the Dharla floodplain, the upazila is exposed to the severe monsoon flooding documented across Kurigram. So what: Flooding repeatedly destroys the crops and assets of the poorest families. Source: Department of Disaster Management

Probable solutions

Seasonal employment and food-security programming timed to the lean monga period, paired with flood-resilient asset support Responsible: Department of Disaster Management · policy proposal
River training and erosion protection on the Dharla to stabilise inhabited chars Responsible: Bangladesh Water Development Board · policy proposal