Steps to prevent landslides soon

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The government-formed Hill Management Committee has decided to immediately implement protective measures to prevent landslides and make the dwellings in foothill areas risk-free instead of going for large-scale evacuation.

On the basis of suggestions from the Technical Protection Committee, it decided at a meeting on Monday evening that hill regions would be made risk-free through development of retaining walls, afforestation, bamboo plantation and setting up physical barriers like sacks of sand and walkways.

Chittagong Divisional Commissioner and convener of Hill Management Committee Hossain Jamil chaired the meeting held at the Chittagong Circuit House.

Representatives from Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), Chittagong Wasa, Bangladesh Railway, Department of Environment and other organisations concerned were present at the meeting.

The meeting restructured the Technical Protection Committee and formed another five-member committee headed by Mozammel Haq, former vice-chancellor of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, to recommend protective measures within three weeks.

The other members of the new committee are CDA Chief Engineer Iqbal Hossain Majumder and chief engineers of the CCC, Chittagong Wasa and Bangladesh Railway.

Over one lakh people–mostly factory workers, day labourers or self-employed–live in 1,814 slums in the Port City, more than half of them living in slums situated on risky hill slopes or at foothill where house rent is cheaper.

A few influential people built these slums on land that mostly belong to Bangladesh Railway, Chittagong Wasa, Public Works Department and the Police department.

Rain-induced mudslides claimed 11 lives on August 18 this year in the Port City and 127 earlier on June 11 last year. Over 70 others were killed in hill and landslides since 1998 including 16 in 1998, 19 in 1999, 16 in 2000 and seven in 2002.

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