Continuous rainfall triggered by a well-marked low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal has once again raised fears of landslides in Chittagong, with thousands of families living at the foot of vulnerable hills remaining at risk despite repeated evacuation warnings.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across Chittagong and Sylhet divisions warning that intense downpours could trigger landslides in hilly areas. Following the forecast, the district administration, the Department of Environment and the Chittagong City Corporation have stepped up monitoring and urged residents of high-risk settlements to move to safer locations or designated shelters. However, many families continue to stay because relocating would jeopardize their livelihoods.
The renewed threat has also highlighted the government's long-standing failure to implement safety measures recommended after Bangladesh's deadliest landslide disaster. On June 11, 2007, a series of landslides killed 127 people across Chittagong in a single day. In the aftermath, a hill protection management committee led by the divisional commissioner identified 28 causes of landslides and put forward 36 recommendations to reduce future risks. Nearly two decades later, environmentalists say none of those recommendations has been fully implemented.
According to the Bangladesh Environment Forum (BEF), at least 250 people have died in landslides in Chittagong since 2007. BEF General Secretary Aliur Rahman said the lack of implementation has allowed the same tragedies to recur every monsoon. He criticized what he described as a seasonal response by authorities, saying meaningful hill conservation efforts are absent throughout the year and emergency measures are largely limited to public announcements during the rainy season.
The organization also warned that unchecked hill cutting has significantly increased the city's vulnerability. A study cited by the BEF found that 88 hills had been completely removed and 95 partially cut by 2008. The report showed that hill coverage in five police station areas declined from 32.37 square kilometres in 1976 to 14.02 square kilometres in 2008, meaning nearly 57 percent of the hills had disappeared. Panchlaish recorded the highest rate of hill destruction, while extensive cutting was also reported in Pahartali, Khulshi, Bayezid, Lalkhan Bazar, Motijharna, Sholashahar and Foy's Lake.
The committee's recommendations included banning new housing projects within five kilometres of hills, expanding afforestation, constructing retaining walls and drainage systems, stopping illegal extraction of hill sand, prohibiting brick kilns near hills, relocating settlements from high-risk slopes, enforcing stricter penalties for illegal hill cutting and directing future urban expansion toward the Patiya-Anwara area on the southern bank of the Karnaphuli River. Environmentalists say these measures remain largely unimplemented.
Meteorologist Bashir Ahmed of the Patenga Meteorological Office said on Tuesday heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected over the next 24 hours, increasing the likelihood of landslides in vulnerable areas. The Patenga station recorded 178.6 millimetres of rainfall during the 24 hours ending at 3pm on Monday. In response to the weather conditions, local warning signal No. 3 has been issued for the seaports of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra.
According to the District Hill Management Sub-Committee, more than 1,000 families continue to live on or around 25 identified high-risk hills in Chittagong city. Although authorities advise them to relocate during the monsoon, many residents remain because of economic hardship and limited alternative housing.
Landslides have continued to claim lives over the years. Most recently, on August 27, 2023, Md Sohel and his seven-month-old daughter Jannat were killed after a hillside collapsed in Sholashahar IW Colony. Earlier that year, construction worker Md. Mujibur Rahman Khoka was killed and three others were injured in a landslide at a road construction site in the Beltali Ghona area. Since the catastrophic disaster of 2007, fatal landslides have occurred repeatedly, claiming at least 250 lives.
According to sources, large parts of the port city remained submerged on Tuesday, leaving office-goers, students, airport-bound passengers, pedestrians and daily wage earners struggling to reach their destinations.
A visit to different parts of the city in the morning found knee- to waist-deep water inundating roads in several areas.
Many commuters were seen rolling up their trousers or carrying their shoes while wading through floodwaters.
Several motorcycles and private vehicles broke down after being submerged, causing traffic congestion on major roads.
The district administration says it plans to file departmental and criminal cases against those who facilitated illegal water, gas and electricity connections for unauthorized settlements in hill areas. Officials also intend to prepare a list of illegal occupants and identify the original landowners. However, environmentalists warn that unless the long-delayed recommendations are implemented and illegal hill cutting is brought under effective control, Chittagong will remain highly vulnerable to deadly landslides during every monsoon season.
