Illegal hill razing persists across several upazilas in Moulvibazar, significantly heightening the risk of landslides during the monsoon season. Families living at the foothills face a constant threat due to this ongoing environmental destruction.
In Sreemangal, Kamalganj, Kulaura, Juri, Barlekha, and Rajnagar upazilas, influential groups are openly violating environmental laws by razing hills. Numerous ancient hills and hillocks have already been destroyed. Despite district administration efforts, hill-cutting activities continue unabated, with local residents reporting that the influential groups are fragmenting and occupying the hillocks.
This illegal activity results in annual landslides during the rainy season, causing significant damage and loss of life. On-site inspections revealed that natural hills are being cut down for constructing housing, temporary residences, resorts, hotels, chicken farms, and high-rise buildings. The administration’s role in preventing this activity appears insufficient.
Casualties are increasing each year due to hill razing, with wild animals losing their habitats and moving into localities. During the monsoon season, residents at the foothills of Moulvibazar live in perpetual fear of landslides, with lakhs of people risking their lives on the hilltops and foothills.
Despite district administration requests for people to relocate from dangerous areas at the start of each monsoon season, no substantial housing measures have been provided. Residents claim they live in perilous conditions due to a lack of alternative accommodation.
Over the past two decades, around 100 people, including women and children, have died from hillock collapses in Moulvibazar, with over 200 cattle also perishing. In the monsoon season of 2022 alone, nine people died and six were injured due to landslides in Sreemangal, Kulaura, Kamalganj, and Barlekha upazilas, along with the death of 10 cattle.
During a recent visit, it was observed that many hills in Sreemangal Upazila have been leveled, with thousands of families living in houses built on partially cut hills. On May 28, local UP member Pradeep Yadav was fined Tk 80,000 for illegally cutting hills in the Juri tea gardens.
Despite a High Court ban on hill cutting in Sylhet issued in 2012 following a writ petition by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), enforcement remains lacking. Advocate Shah Shaheda Akhtar of BELA highlighted the absence of district administration records on at-risk individuals and the lack of government initiatives for their rehabilitation or hillock conservation.
Dr. Urmi Binte Salam, Deputy Commissioner of Moulvibazar, stated that awareness campaigns are ongoing, urging families in at-risk areas to relocate, and legal actions are being taken against those involved in hill cutting. However, no precise statistics are available on the number of families at risk.
Environmental activists warn that without urgent measures, Moulvibazar faces a severe environmental disaster, with further loss of life and habitat. The situation demands immediate government intervention to enforce laws and provide safe housing alternatives for those living in high-risk areas.
