Despite repeated warnings, landslides in the Chattogram Hill districts continue to be a major threat of lives being lost in disasters.
A series of investigations by Bangladesh Post reveals act of sheer negligence by authorities concerned despite recommendations by high level committees, which in the past launched ‘expert’ enquiries to find causes of the disasters that lead to losses of around 500 lives since 2007.
It is learnt that high level committees are formed following every such landslide disasters to probe into the causes of the man-made disasters.
In most of the cases probe reports are not made public, reportedly to ‘protect’ those who are accountable of such heinous crimes of killing people through grabbing and cutting hilly land, uprooting forest trees and constructing concrete structures without approval of the authorities concerned.
It is also learnt that such acts of illegal land grabbing of hilly land, deforestation and building structures continue to take place despite a ban on leasing out hilly land, cutting forest trees and construction of new concrete structures.
Conscious citizens have repeatedly blamed the Chottogram authorities concerned and the ministry of disaster management for disregarding the laws to prevent such unwanted landslides which potentially can kill people.
In the latest such disasters two Rohingya refugees were killed in a landslide in Cox's Bazar on last June 5 and two other people were killed in a similar landslide in Rangamati hill district on July 19, 2019.
Meanwhile, records show that the first major landslide occurred on June 11, 2007 in the port city of Chattogram’s Hathazari, Pahartali, Bayezid Bostami and Khulshi areas killing 127 people and injuring more than 200.
In 2008, a landslide in the Baluchara area of Bandarban killed 130 people. From 12 to 13 June in 2017, some 168 people were killed in landslides in six districts, including three hill districts. Never before in the history of the Chattagram Hill Tracts have so many lives been lost due to landslides.
The Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief had formed several committees to investigate the 2017 incident. After reviewing two reports and three expert reports from two high-level committees of ministries, it was suggested to strict leasing out land in the hill districts.
The report of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief had recommended banning cutting of all types of forest trees in Chattogram Hill Tracts for five to seven years.
The committees had also recommended cultivating bamboo and forest trees suitable for forestry in the area. Each report had also emphasized on the need for geological surveys in the hill districts.
The experts had also suggested banning ginger and turmeric cultivation in the hilly districts as they massively contribute to erosion of the surface of the hilly land.
Sadly, none of the recommendations were implemented, allegedly under pressure from some influential quarters who control such hilly land grabbing business.
After the 2007 landslide, the then caretaker government had formed an 11-member technical committee to find out the causes and remedy of the disasters.
Dr M Shahidul Islam, of Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences at Dhaka University, also one of the members of the committee, told Bangladesh Post, "After probing into the incident of 2007 and 2013, I think there are two main reasons behind such repeated landslides.”
“First, all mountains are naturally made by soft soil. Second is man-made. However, the cause of landslides is more human creation than natural. People are cutting down hills, destroying trees, leasing out hills, settling settlers in the hills, using the hills for commercial purposes are some of the reasons,” he said.
He added, “Due to the deforestation of the hills, water enters the cracks of these soft and sandy hills during the rainy season of June-July. The mountain collapses because it cannot not hold its strength.”
He also said "We have made a number of recommendations to prevent landslides. The main recommendation was to stop leasing out the hills and bringing back the natural forest look, stopping the commercial use of the hills and housing and industrialization caused great damage to the hill. Another loss is to build house in the mountains and rent it. We also recommended to stop such illegal activities. "
It is found that despite the disasters many people continue to live on the slopes of the risky hills ignoring warnings about the land-slides.
Experts believe that one of the major causes of the landslides may be the construction of roads and structures without a geological survey of the area.
Dr Md Enamur Rahman, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief told Bangladesh Post that at the beginning of the monsoon this year the people living in the risky hilly areas have been evacuated.
He said that some humanitarian assistance has also been provided in Chattogram. Laws have been enacted to protect the hills. Under the laws it is a crime to cut down hills and live illegally. The government has taken initiatives to build settlements on the plains for those living in risky hills under a project, which is now going on.
Regarding the reasons for non-implementation of the recommendations, the minister said, “The government is more sincere in this regard. Various activities are continuing at different times. But people don't want to abide the laws. This problem will not be solved until housing arrangements are made for the landless in the area.”
Ranjit Kumar Sen, Additional Secretary (Disaster Management-1, Relief Admin) told Bangladesh Post, “Many people own parts of the hills privately. When they cut their hills we cannot force them not to cut their own land. However, if someone wants to develop his or her land s/he can excavate the hill for the purpose. It can't be stopped although we are warning and alerting people at different times.”
“The main task in preventing death in landslides is to evacuate settlers who live at risk,” said Kamrul Hasan, Divisional Commissioner of Chattogram and Chairman of hill management committee.
“Our priority is to ensure that no one living on the slopes of the mountain is crushed to death. That is how all the steps are being taken,” Hasan added.
It is found that due to scarcity of land, many landless people are forced to live on hills or on the slopes of the hills.
At present, there are 50 hills in and around Chittagong city, one third of which are on the verge of disappearance. However, according to various calculations, the cutting of hills has started since the 1980s. Already at least 50 hills have completely disappeared.
Divisional Commissioner Kamrul Hasan said, “It is impossible to remove the people from hill slopes without any arrangement of permanent settlement for them. Until there is a permanent solution for them, our goal is to remove them at times of potential disasters.”
