GovTwin / Institution

Rajarhat (Kurigram)

Local Gov

A central upazila of Kurigram on the Teesta floodplain, an impoverished agrarian community of subsistence paddy and char livelihoods.

Wealth rank 58/452 (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 -0.271 (national rank 58/452, second decile) places Rajarhat among the poorest upazilas nationally, consistent with deprivation concentrated on Kurigram's river chars. So what: Deep poverty leaves households highly vulnerable to floods and seasonal hunger. Source: Meta Data for Good Relative Wealth Index (HDX)
water On the Teesta floodplain, the upazila faces active river channels that erode chars and isolate communities during the monsoon. So what: Erosion strips farmland and cuts off riverside villages each flood season. Source: Bangladesh Water Development Board

Probable solutions

River training and erosion protection on the Teesta to stabilise inhabited chars and reduce annual land loss Responsible: Bangladesh Water Development Board · policy proposal
Seasonal employment and food-security programming timed to the lean monga period Responsible: Department of Disaster Management · policy proposal