Illegal hill cutting in Bandarban district of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) poses a serious threat to environment as well as life and property of settlers. A photograph published in a local daily last week showed how a bulldozer was demolishing a large portion of hills in Kalaghata Baruapara area of Bandarban for constructing a wide road there. Divisional forest office sources have told the reporter that a section of influential political leaders and unscrupulous businessmen are behind the destruction of hills in various parts of the district. The unholy practice goes on unabated for building houses, business establishments and construction of roads. The illegal hill cutting induces landslides during monsoon taking heavy toll on human lives, livestock and properties almost every year. Nearly three months ago the Rangamati Hill District Council (RHDC) in a meeting called for protecting hills from any gross human onslaught. On the other hand, Green activists have been demanding formulation of a national hill management policy for quite a long time. They have also urged the authorities concerned repeatedly to take drastic action against those engaged in cutting hills and trees illegally resulting in deaths and serious environmental hazards. The environmentalists blame a politically influential quarter for chopping trees, developing land for housing projects and constructing roads in an unplanned manner in the hilly areas. They allege that the government appears to be indifferent to such illegal activities of a handful of powerful groups, who have already caused enough damage to environment. Besides, a large number of people perished following landslides in the recent past across the Chittagong hill areas. Green activists say that reckless felling of trees results in developing cracks in the hills during summer due to excessive heat. Afterwards when the rainwater enters the cracks, the soft hill soil becomes too vulnerable to slides.
In the wake of every landslide the local administration asks the people living on hill slopes to evacuate. But they are not permanently rehabilitated. After the rainy season is over, the people return to their previous settlements and start living till fresh slides subsequently claim lives and destroy properties. Therefore, it is essential to formulate a national hill management policy to protect the hills from gross human onslaught and to avert further environmental degradation.
Several months ago rain-induced landslides left 114 people dead in Bandarban, Cox's Bazar and Chittagong which got wide media coverage. According to an unofficial estimate, the death toll would be much higher as many people remained buried under tonnes of mud. Following the tragedy the authorities evacuated a large number of settlers from the hill slopes to safer places like relief camps. But many other dwellers refused to comply with the directives of the local administration and preferred to live under constant threat of landslides.
Under the prevailing circumstances it is essential to take stringent measures against illegal hill cutting under a comprehensive national policy. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries of the world due to global climate change. We are not yet fully prepared to face the challenge. At this crucial moment if we fail to protect our environment from reckless human habitation, we shall only hasten the process of inviting the impending natural disaster.
The Chittagong-based correspondent of a local daily reported recently that politically influential people were cutting hills and hillocks in Sitakunda upazila at more than 25 spots under 7 unions. The press report says some hill cutters had obtained permission for cutting hills on the ground of supplying earth to the under-construction Dhaka-Chittagong Four-Lane Highway. But they reportedly sold earth to different organisations for filling low-lying land and for housing projects. Moreover, as many as 27 illegal brick fields have been built at the feet of the hills in the upazila. The owners of the illegal brick fields are also cutting hills to get earth for producing bricks without approval of the Department of Environment (DoE). The destruction of environment does not end here. Some brick fields are using trees of the hilly areas for burning bricks. Local people say they have nothing to do with stopping this dangerous practice.
Distress signal from hills in CHT
Khalilur Rahman | Published: March 30, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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