Landslide a looming danger on Cox's Bazar hills

Our Correspondent
COX'S BAZAR, July 13: The number of people living in the hills in Cox's Bazar has been increasing with each day passing raising concern of deadly landslides.
Due to their living amid life risk, the number of fatalities due to landslides is increasing and hilly areas are being destroyed.
In the past 12 years, 314 people lost their lives due to landslides in the district. A present about 0.3 million people are living in the hills, occupying about 18,000 hectares of land, which is one third of the total forest area of Cox's Bazar.
Besides, about 1.2 million Rohingyas are residing in the hills occupying 4, 858 hectares of land. Their lives are also in danger there.
Environmentalists fear a severe disaster with massive loss of lives if the vulnerable people living in the hills are not identified and shifted to the safer places before heavy rains.
Apart from Rohingyas, local influential people, including political leaders, have encroached upon large areas on the hills.
Not only they have grabbed hills, they are also engaged in selling those, which are cut indiscriminately for building settlements.
Especially when monsoon comes, there goes on a hill cutting spree to build settlements, accelerating the possibility of loss of lives and property through landslides.
According to the statistics of Cox's Bazar district administration, 314 people lost their lives due to landslides in the past 12 years. But the worst landslide took place on June 15, 2010.
On this day, around 62 people including six army personnel of 17 ECB army camp in Himchhari area of Ramu upazila died in landslides in different parts of the district.
On July 4 and 6, 2008, 13 people including four members of the same family were killed in the landslides of Fakiramura and Tunya in Teknaf, and 29 people were killed on June 26 and 27, 2012.
Five people died in Chakaria, Ukhia and Ramu in 2009, 19 died in landslides in 2011-13. In 2015, five people were killed in an incident of landslide in Cox's Bazar city.
Seventeen people were killed in landslides in 2016 and 26 people died in 2017.
On July 25, 2018, 28 people were killed in landslides in Ghona area of Bachamiar in South Rumaliarchhara of the city.
In 2019, the district saw 15 deaths in landslides, in 2020, 14 people died in two days on 27 and 28 July. 25 people died in 2022.
This year, six people died in landslides in Ramu, Teknaf and Sadar upazilas before monsoon. So far, 28 people have died in Rohingya camps due to landslides.
Environmental scientist Dr Ansharul Karim said every year in Cox's Bazar district landslides cause loss of lives, but the work of shifting people living at risk to safer places is done only when the monsoon comes. Everything stops when the monsoon ends. As a result, the destruction of hills in Cox's Bazar is going on without hindrance.
In Cox's Bazar city, near Light House, Saikat Para, Circuit House, Mohajer Para, Dakshin Ghonarpara, Badshaghona, Baidya-ghona, Madhyam Ghonar-para, Pahartali, Kalatali Adarshagram, Jhrijharikua, Sadar Upazila office and Linkroad hilly areas, thousands of families are living at risks.
In this regard, Sameer Ranjan Saha, range officer of Cox's Bazar South Forest Department, said every year before the monsoon, the administration and the forest department jointly evacuate the people living at risks in the hills. The settlements are severely damaging biodiversity and depleting reserve forests in Cox's Bazar.
Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Muha-mmad Shaheen Imran said the administration is working relentlessly to evacuate the people living in the hills.
Every year when the monsoon comes, the district administration takes initiative to move the people living in the hills to safer places. To create awareness, awareness campaign on landslides is carried out through loudspeaker. At that time some people move away but later come back and start living there.