No govt initiatives yet to stop rising landslide deaths

Landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, a regular phenomenon in the Chittagong Division, have killed a significant number of people in and around Chittagong city in recent years, yet the government agencies concerned have failed to put effective measures in place to stop the recurring tragedies. At least 227 people have been killed by landslides in Chittagong in the past 10 years; as many as 127 people lost their lives in a single incident on June 11, 2007. On Tuesday, in the latest episode of monsoon landslides, at least 127 people were confirmed dead in Rangamati, Chittagong and Bandarban. Public outcry follows every fatal landslide, and probe committees are subsequently formed who look into the matter and make recommendations to prevent the death. Sadly enough, these recommendations are rarely followed. The 2007 landslide was investigated by two different committees, who identified 28 reasons behind the landslides in Chittagong and put forward a 36-point recommendation to avert another tragedy like this. None of these recommendations have been implemented in the last 10 years. Every year before monsoon, all the local administration does is issue customary warnings to people living on landslide-prone hills to move to safer areas. Sometimes, they conduct evacuation drives to remove people from the risky areas, but those drives have little effect as the evicted people always return after a few days. The Divisional Hill Management Committee has identified 30 landslide-prone hills in the city which are owned by different government, autonomous and private organisations, including Bangladesh Railway, Public Works Department, Chittagong Wasa and Chittagong City Corporation.Why do these landslides occur so much?Muhammad Rashidul Hasan, assistant professor at the department of urban and regional planning of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), says unsustainable use of land and rampant hill-cutting are two major reasons behind the landslide vulnerability in the hilly areas of Chittagong. “Unlike other parts of the country, the hills of Chittagong region constitute of crumbling soil and become vulnerable after a heavy rainfall if the surface is not covered with vegetation,” he explained. “The soil becomes heavy after absorbing rainwater and the steep slopes cannot bear the mass weight of the wet soil or mud, resulting in landslides.” The situation is aggravated by hill-cutting, Rashid added. “The slopes are cut at 70-80 degrees, which increases the risks of landslides.”Recommendations made, but not followedThe 36-point recommendations made by probe committees looking into 2007 landslide included relocating people from risky hilly areas, formulating a national hill management policy, imposing a ban on brick kilns within 10 kilometres and housing projects within five kilometres of the hills, constant monitoring of new settlements, boundary walls around risky hills, forestation, and strict action against hill grabbers. The district administration has done little to implement these recommendations so far. The transitory relocation measures that they use do not offer a permanent solution to the problem, say experts and activists. “Instead of evacuating people, the administration should take severe action against the hill grabbers who construct the houses illegally on hill slopes,” said Sharif Chowhan, an environmental activist. “No punitive measure has been taken against hill cutters and encroachers. They are blessed with political influence which they use to construct slums on government lands and rent them out to low-income people.” “Most of the recommendations on how to prevent landslide casualties remain ignored,” said Edris Ali, vice-president of green organisation Poribesh Bachao Andolon’s Chittagong chapter. “The government agencies that are in charge of many risky hills must play a stronger role in preventing these deaths.” CUET’s Professor Muhammad Rashidul Hasan told the Dhaka Tribune: “Initiatives should be taken to rehabilitate the urban poor living on the hill slopes. Cluster housing could be a better option in this regard.” When contacted, Mashooqur Rahman Sikder, additional deputy commissioner of Chittagong district, said they were considering rehabilitation of the people living on dangerous hilly areas. “We are also working on a plan to keep the evicted people from returning to the risky hill areas,” he added.