Around 50,000 people have been living around hills and hillocks in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar risking their lives in landslides during the monsoon.
At the onset of the rainy season starts, when it starts to rain heavily, anxiety increases among these residents.
Heavy rains cause casualties including death due to landslides. As most of these residents are low-income people, they do not want to leave their low-rent houses on the hills and at the foot of the hills.
They do not want to move elsewhere even being aware of the risk.
Sometimes there are allegations that influential people are allowing low-income people to live in many hills and hillocks to maintain their illegal occupation.
The administration's eviction drive of these people in the areas is limited to miking.
However, due to the heavy rain that started on Monday morning, there is a risk of hill collapse and landslides among the residents of Teknaf Hill in Cox's Bazar.
More than 100 new houses were built on 12 hills which were identified as very risky in the last year. Thousands of people living at risk.
Due to heavy rain these houses are destroyed and there is fear of casualty.
Administration becomes active only during monsoon
Although the concerned administration remains silent throughout the year, when the monsoons come, it starts efforts to evacuate the residents from the hills and hillocks.
The local administration also started miking operations in some hills to evacuate residents from the foothills in case of continuous rains. Plans are being made to launch the evacuation drives by determining the roadmap.
Rangamati faces landslide threat amid downpours
Heavy rain disrupts city life in Chittagong, triggers landslide risk
Rangamati faces landslide threat amid downpours
Heavy rain disrupts city life in Chittagong, triggers landslide riskAccording to upazila administration sources, 32 hilly settlements of Hneela, Baharchhara, Whykong, and Teknaf municipalities in the upazila have been identified as vulnerable to landslides due to torrential rains.
Around 50,000 people from around seven thousand families have been living in these dangerous hilly areas.
The areas at risk are Fakiramura, Baidyor Ghona, Kuwait Mosque, Puran Pallan Para, Naitong Para, Baraitali, Ghumtali (behind BGB Camp), Morichya Guna, Paschim Sikdar, Mura Para, Lechuaprang, Villager Para, Paschim Rangikhali, Gazi Para, Alikhali, Lambabil, Raikhyang, Karachi Para, Katubdia Para, Amtali, Daingakata, Harikhola, Kerunati, Balukhali, Chakmarkol, Combinia Para, Shiailamura, Satgharia Para, Hachinnatek, Shamlapur Puran Para, Bara Dail, Matha Bhanga Jahaspura, Marisbunia and Bainya Para.
In this regard, Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Adnan Chowdhury said: "Residents of the risky areas are being asked to move away from the hilly risk areas due to continuous rains. Shelters have been kept open for this. We are creating a list of high-risk residents. Then they will be evacuated from there. Apart from this, miking is being done every day to move to a safe place.”
Fears among local people
The local people fear that if settlements continue razing the hills, there will be major natural disasters in the future.
On June 15, 2010, 33 people were killed in Teknaf.
Besides, 15 people including children and women were killed when the walls of the houses of the people living at the foot of the hill collapsed at Haldia Palong, Palongkhali, Jalia Palong and Ratnapalong unions of Ukhia to the continuous rains of 2010 and 12.
Why the problem could not be solved permanently?
Some unscrupulous influential groups are allowing living at the foot of the hill by taking nominal money from the helpless and poor people. Every year, the administration determines the number of families living illegally in the dangerous hills, but these groups remain unaccounted for.
M Ibrahim Khalil Mamun, chief executive of Cox's Bazar's environmental organization Youth Environment Society (YES), said: "This problem could not be solved because the government agencies are not fulfilling their responsibilities properly. The administration has never identified the main accused behind building settlements around the hills. Legal action is not taken against them.
Abul Kalam, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Range of the Forest Department, said: "One and a half thousand people are at risk in the hills of my area. To avoid loss of life due to heavy rain, they have been instructed to move away from the risk areas.”
