Landslides around CU campus feared with coming monsoon
Saturday, 5 June 2010
CHITTAGONG, Jun 4 (UNB): Moderate hill and landslides in the moorland around Chittagong University (CU) campus are feared in the coming monsoon season, as the authorities have neglected taking any measures to avert the mishaps despite repeated pleas from underprivileged people.
The country's only hillside university, located on over 1250 acres at Hathazari Upazila in Chittagong, was established in 1966. The university's campus is famous for its natural beauty owing to its location in a valley.
However, experts fear that many lives may be claimed by landslides during the coming monsoon as the university is located in a vulnerable hilly area, and nearly 200 people live in the hilly pockets around it.
"As meteorologists are predicting a heavier and relatively longer
monsoon this year due to the global circulation of rain, the recurrence of landslides in the hilly areas is not unlikely this time," says Sarder M Shah-Newaz, a disaster management expert.
Landslides are a geological phenomenon, which may consist of a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows. They are said to typically occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments.
At least 12 people have been killed in three landslides on the campus over the last decade. Over 118 people were killed including five on the university campus, by landslides caused by heavy showers on June 11, 2007 in Chittagong region.
Although the university authorities pledged a number of remedial schemes to avert any recurrence of human casualties after the June 2007 tragedy, in reality nothing had been done so far, a senior official of the university claimed.
The country's only hillside university, located on over 1250 acres at Hathazari Upazila in Chittagong, was established in 1966. The university's campus is famous for its natural beauty owing to its location in a valley.
However, experts fear that many lives may be claimed by landslides during the coming monsoon as the university is located in a vulnerable hilly area, and nearly 200 people live in the hilly pockets around it.
"As meteorologists are predicting a heavier and relatively longer
monsoon this year due to the global circulation of rain, the recurrence of landslides in the hilly areas is not unlikely this time," says Sarder M Shah-Newaz, a disaster management expert.
Landslides are a geological phenomenon, which may consist of a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows. They are said to typically occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments.
At least 12 people have been killed in three landslides on the campus over the last decade. Over 118 people were killed including five on the university campus, by landslides caused by heavy showers on June 11, 2007 in Chittagong region.
Although the university authorities pledged a number of remedial schemes to avert any recurrence of human casualties after the June 2007 tragedy, in reality nothing had been done so far, a senior official of the university claimed.