Risk of landslide in Ctg

Despite several recommendations put forward by for a permanent resolution to avert casualties caused by landslides in Chittagong, they have failed to translate into reality. Landslides and the casualties they cause have been followed by the usual approach. Probe committees are formed and they submit their reports with recommendations. These recommendations, however, have hardly been followed and have remain only on paper. “Probe committees are formed by the authorities concerned after every landslide-related casualty. The probe committees indeed submit their reports. However, the authorities concerned sink into oblivion following the rainy season,” said Sharif Chowhan, a green activist.
Ahead of every monsoon, the district administration launches hurried drives to evict the settlers from the risky hills. Absence of permanent rehabilitation measures results in the return of the settlers to the vulnerable hill slopes barely days after being moved to safer ground in eviction drives. The local administration faced stiff resistance from the settlers while conducting one such drive in the Motijhorna area onJune 25 last year. Those evicted returned to the risky hill slopes after a couple of days. The Divisional Hill Management Committee (DHMC) has so far held 14 meetings in the last eight years. However, the committee has confined itself to holding meetings, issuing customary warnings and launching eviction drives as monsoon arrives.
This, when landslides triggered by heavy rains in and around Chittagong have claimed over 250 lives between 1999 and 2014. The death toll includes 127 who lost their lives in the catastrophic landslide of 2007.
It was this landslide on June 11, 2007, which prompted the formation of two committees. These committees identified 28 reasons that led to landslides during monsoon in Chittagong and put forward a 36-point recommendation to avert future loss of lives from landslides.
Evacuating people from the risky areas and measures to rehabilitate them was one of the key measures suggested in the reports of the two committee headed by the
then Divisional Commissioner. Preparing a national hill management policy and imposing a ban on setting up of brick kilns within 10 km and housing projects within 5 km of the hills also featured in their list of recommendations.
The committees also suggested forming a vigilance team to check new settlements in risky areas, immediate construction of boundary walls at risky hills, massive forestation and tougher punishment for the hill-cutters. Sadly, most of these recommendations remain ignored till present day.
Green activists complain that despite all sincerity, the local administration stoops to political pressure while evicting illegal structures in the hills. “Many slums have come up on the slopes of hills where people from low-income groups reside. Politically-blessed and locally influential quarters have developed these slums on government land and rented them out,” Sharif points out, adding that the people living at the foothills should be permanently rehabilitated and the grabbers be tried immediately.
“We get busier than before following every disaster in the country,” observes Mozzamel Haque, former Vice-Chancellor of Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology (CUET) and Convener of the Bangladesh Environment Forum. However, everything sinks into oblivion after a few days, he adds. “Eviction drives as a measure of precaution to avert possible loss of lives from landslides have not been very effective. We need a short, medium and long-term plan to avoid landslides,” said Mozzamel Haque.

Risk of landslide in Ctg

Despite several recommendations put forward by for a permanent resolution to avert casualties caused by landslides in Chittagong, they have failed to translate into reality. Landslides and the casualties they cause have been followed by the usual approach. Probe committees are formed and they submit their reports with recommendations. These recommendations, however, have hardly been followed and have remain only on paper. Probe committees are formed by the authorities concerned after every landslide-related casualty. The probe committees indeed submit their reports. However, the authorities concerned sink into oblivion following the rainy season, said Sharif Chowhan, a green activist. Ahead of every monsoon, the district administration launches hurried drives to evict the settlers from the risky hills. Absence of permanent rehabilitation measures results in the return of the settlers to the vulnerable hill slopes barely days after being moved to safer ground in eviction drives. The local administration faced stiff resistance from the settlers while conducting one such drive in the Motijhorna area onJune 25 last year. Those evicted returned to the risky hill slopes after a couple of days. The Divisional Hill Management Committee (DHMC) has so far held 14 meetings in the last eight years. However, the committee has confined itself to holding meetings, issuing customary warnings and launching eviction drives as monsoon arrives. This, when landslides triggered by heavy rains in and around Chittagong have claimed over 250 lives between 1999 and 2014. The death toll includes 127 who lost their lives in the catastrophic landslide of 2007. It was this landslide on June 11, 2007, which prompted the formation of two committees. These committees identified 28 reasons that led to landslides during monsoon in Chittagong and put forward a 36-point recommendation to avert future loss of lives from landslides. Evacuating people from the risky areas and measures to rehabilitate them was one of the key measures suggested in the reports of the two committee headed by the then Divisional Commissioner. Preparing a national hill management policy and imposing a ban on setting up of brick kilns within 10 km and housing projects within 5 km of the hills also featured in their list of recommendations. The committees also suggested forming a vigilance team to check new settlements in risky areas, immediate construction of boundary walls at risky hills, massive forestation and tougher punishment for the hill-cutters. Sadly, most of these recommendations remain ignored till present day. Green activists complain that despite all sincerity, the local administration stoops to political pressure while evicting illegal structures in the hills. Many slums have come up on the slopes of hills where people from low-income groups reside. Politically-blessed and locally influential quarters have developed these slums on government land and rented them out, Sharif points out, adding that the people living at the foothills should be permanently rehabilitated and the grabbers be tried immediately. We get busier than before following every disaster in the country, observes Mozzamel Haque, former Vice-Chancellor of Chittagong University of Engineering Technology (CUET) and Convener of the Bangladesh Environment Forum. However, everything sinks into oblivion after a few days, he adds. Eviction drives as a measure of precaution to avert possible loss of lives from landslides have not been very effective. We need a short, medium and long-term plan to avoid landslides, said Mozzamel Haque.