20,000 families living in Cox’s Bazar hills amid landslide risk

Around 20,000 families have been dwelling in hill slopes of Cox's Bazar district town and other areas amid growing risk of landslide in the monsoon season.

Growing rains with the advent of monsoon and unabated hill cutting have intensified the risk of landslide, creating panic among the hill residents.

Azmul Huda, general secretary of Cox's Bazar forest and environment conservation council, an environmental organisation, said, "The Rohingya people who have been living in Ukhiya and Teknaf areas by cutting down over 6,000 acres of forest also brace for possible landslide."

Besides, over 10,000 families in Badshaghona, Light House, Dakshin Diggul, Dakshin Hazipara, Pahartali, Sahikkika Palli, Ghonarpara, Maheshkhailla Para, Kalatali Adarsha Gram, Borachara, Boidyaghona, Mohajer Para, Link Road, Muhuri Para, Janarghora areas of Cox's Bazar town are at the risk of landslide, he added.

Azmul Huda said around 10,000 families are living amid danger in the hilly areas of Ramu, Maheshkhali, Teknaf, Ukhiya and Pekua upazilas. Most of the houses have been built on the land of forest department and government (khas) lands.

Talking to UNB, some residents of the town said many illegal structures have been built by clearing forests and hills owned by the district administration.

Cox's Bazar Bachao Andolon president advocate Ayachhur Rahman said it was necessary to evict the illegal structures from the vulnerable hills well before the monsoon set in.

"Now the list of casualties will be long if landslides occur in the area," he said.

Cox's Bazar environment department deputy director Nurul Amin said at least 54 people, including six members of Bangladesh Army, were killed in landslides in different areas of the district in 2010.

The number of deaths in landslides was 200 from 2010 to 2017 in the district, he added.

"Eviction drives alone can't solve the problem. Massive awareness programmes is also necessary to stop people from dwelling on hill slopes," he added.

Nurul Amin said miscreants are cutting down hills secretly at nights despite regular raids against illegal hill cutting. "Manpower crisis hampers our drive."

Cox's Bazar forest department sources said around 5,341 hectares of land of the south forest department and 7,053 hectares under west forest department have been grabbed.

Hundreds of people are also illegally living in hilly khas land of the district administration, the sources said.

Cox's Bazar deputy commissioner Md Kamal Hossain told that people living in hills will be shifted to safer places like previous years.

"There had been no serious accident last year due to the collective efforts. We've formed several committees to conduct eviction drives in the hills," he added.

Source: unb