Hill cutting poses risk of landslide

Cox’s Bazar hills levelled for construction
Hill cutting goes on unabatedly in different areas of Cox’s Bazar town and suburbs for building dwellings, raising fears of landslides.
Hilltops are being levelled to collect earth for constructing dwellings and the forest department raids are failing to stop this.
During a visit to different hills under the forest department in Cox’s Bazar municipality, it was seen the hills were being levelled even in torrential rains, ignoring the risk of mudslides.
Soil flowing down from the hills with rainwater was filling the drains, clogging them and triggering waterlogging down below.
Acting Mayor of Cox’s Bazar Municipality Sarwar Kamal said when the administration’s drive against hill cutting is relaxed during the rains the hill cutting goes on. He said some influential people are behind this.
Chief of Cox’s Bazar Paribesh Bachao Andolon Sharmin Reshmin said hill cutting has been going on in full swing during heavy raining of the last several days.
She claimed the administration does not take any action against it even though complaints are filed in this regard. The forest department, Police and district administration’s joint drives failed to arrest the culprits, she said.
Many dwellings and buildings of business firms were seen being constructed at the Bypass Road, Kolatoli, District Jail area, Bus Terminal, Pahartali, Larpara, Baiddherghona, Ghonarpara, Shahittika Palli, Binoder Ghona, Adarsha Gram, Teknaiffa Pahar and other areas in Cox’s Bazar suburbs. The perpetrators also sell the earth and the land.
A number of workers at a hill said they are taking soil of the hills to the Hotel Motel Zone of the beach to develop plots of land. The earth is being transported to the zone from Kolatoli, Larpara, and Pahartali area and no one is preventing them.
Supervisor of the Directorate of Environment (DoE) Chittagong zone Mizanur Rahman said, “We will take legal actions against he perpetrators.”
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) field officer for Chittagong zone Mohammad Hasan said he was surprised to see the large-scale hill cutting in Cox’s Bazar town. He too said his organisation was going to take legal action to stop hill cutting.
Cox’s Bazar Forest Department (South) Forest Officer Saidul Islam said hill cutting could not be stopped despite repeated attempts. Conducting drives during the rains when the hill cutting is at its peak is very difficult, he added.

Courtesy of The Daily Star