Landslides caused by heavy rain are common during the monsoon season between June and September in our country. Four members of a family, including a five-year-old boy, were killed on Monday as a landslide caused by monsoon rains demolished their house in Jaintapur upazila of Sylhet. A large chunk of mud from an adjacent hill fell on the house leaving the four dead on the spot and several others injured.
Hill cutting, deforestation, unplanned housing and drainage system, unplanned Jum cultivation and effects of climate change were identified as the major factors for natural and man-made disasters like landslide in the CHT areas and other hill districts of the country. Such destruction of hills and trees over the years has made the hills risky, contributing to the disasters. People living in those areas are facing natural and man-made disasters as no effective steps have been taken in this regard yet.
Necessary steps should be taken to provide exemplary
punishment to land grabbers and developers, and real
estate companies who are involved in illegal practice of hill cutting
Different environmental issues, including hill cutting, leasing and grabbing of forest and hilly land were discussed widely in order to prevent such manmade disasters. But hill cutting is still going on unabated in the name of housing as the demand for plots and flats in the hill area is very high.
Many residential and commercial buildings, resorts and hotels have been developed, cutting down hills over the last two decades, with the authorities concerned turning a blind eye to this mindless act. Besides, around 5,000 acres of forest were destroyed in Cox’s Bazar due to rehabilitation of forcibly displaced Rohinghya people.
Meteorological department predicted heavy rainfall will increase over the country from June today (Wednesday). So, the local administrations of the hilly regions should start taking measures to launch an evacuation campaign to save human lives.
The government must take immediate measures to check all sorts of disaster including landslide and should do everything for the well-being of the hilly people. It is urgently need to frame a work strategy to prevent landslide or other man-made disasters. In this regard, hill cutting and deforestation in the country’s hilly areas must be stopped to prevent landslides that killed many people over the last two decades. Also, necessary steps should be taken to provide exemplary punishment to land grabbers and developers, and real estate companies who are involved in illegal practice of hill cutting.