Recommendations to save hills fall on deaf ears

It has been 10 years since the technical committee of the Divisional Hill Management Committee (HMC) came up with 36 recommendations to protect the hills in the port city and its nearby areas to avert future loss in landslides.

But over the years, most of the proposals have been ignored, resulting in an increasing number of illegal dwelling on the hill slopes and recurrence of landslides, said environmentalists and experts.

Indifference of the administration and a lack of efforts from the government and private organisations that own the hills are the major reasons behind not materialising the proposals, they said. The deadly landslide in 2007 that killed 127 people living on hill slopes in Chittagong had prompted the formation of the HMC.

The HMC had identified 30 hills vulnerable to landslides in the port city and nearby areas.

Government organisations like Public Works Department (PWD), Bangladesh Railway (BR), Chittagong Wasa (CWasa), Chittagong City Corporation and various private organisations are the owners of the hills. Over one-and-a-half lakh people mostly from low-income group reside on those.

HMC RECOMMENDATIONS

One of the key HMC recommendations was that the respective owners of the hills should evacuate the dwellers and take measures to rehabilitate them.

The other suggestions include constructing boundary walls and installing barbed wires surrounding the hills and introducing a proper drainage system to drain out water from the hills.

The committee also recommended constructing retaining walls, initiating afforestation programmes, imposing ban on establishing brick kilns and housing projects within 10 kilometres of the hill areas.

They also suggested taking punitive measures against people behind hill cutting and turning Matijharna and Batali Hill areas into tourism spots.

But at present, all the rehabilitation activities from the administration are stopped.

Earlier in 2007, a Tk 73 lakh fund was created for taking safety measures and rehabilitation. The money has been lying unused for the last 10 years.

Also, in 2008, around 5.92 acres of land of Bangladesh Railway was selected at Jahan Ali Hat near Kalurghat for rehabilitating the hill dwellers.

The project was also abandoned due to a fund shortage, according to district administration sources.

Zafar Alam, the then member secretary of the HMC formed after the landslide in 2007, said the HMC's technical committee had proposed the recommendations regarding hill management to avert landslide. But none were implemented, he said.

Pointing fingers at organisations like BR, CWasa and PWD, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC- revenue) Abdul Jalil said the owners of most of the hills have no plan whatsoever to save those.

“We conduct eviction drives every year. But these organisations don't take any steps to save their hills,” said Jalil, also the incumbent member secretary of HMC.

About the Tk 73 lakh fund, he said it was not possible to rehabilitate thousands of people with such a small amount. “Without a proper initiative by the government it is not possible to rehabilitate the hill dwellers.”

Contacted, Jahangir Alam, former vice-chancellor of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, said “Local authorities did not take effective measures to execute most of the recommendations. Their carelessness and a lack of interest are the reasons behind not implementing the suggestions.”

The government and private organisations have to come forward to save their respective hills. They should also consult the experts for technical support, he added.

The administration should take short-, mid- and long-term projects so that the recommendations can be executed, said Prof Jahangir, a former member of HMC's technical committee.

In the recent landslides, worst since 2007, at least 150 people, including army men, women and children, were killed in Chittagong, Rangamati, Bandarban and Cox's Bazar after a depression in the Bay caused the torrential rain.