Sylhet Bureau

Ignoring the risk of landslides, thousands of people continue to live on the slopes of hillocks and foothills in Sylhet district due to their financial conditions.

Although mudslides are regularly happening in the region every rainy season, the casualties of the accident were the highest in recent memory.

It was not just an accident, for it was a concern as thousands of people living on the slopes of hillocks and foothills in the eastern district are at risk of such tragic occurrences.

on Saturday A 11-year-old girl named Archana lost her life when a hill collapsed onto their shanty in the Khadim Cha Bagan area of Sylhet Sadar upazila in the district.

Additionally, in Jaintapur upazila of the district, three houses were damaged by landslides amid heavy rain.

Archana, the daughter of tea garden worker Bulbul Chhatri, resided in a shanty at the base of a hill. During heavy rain, the hill collapsed onto their house leaving the child dead on the spot, Moin Uddin Sipan, the officer-in-charge of Airport police station, said they have heard of the child's demise. However, due to inaccessibility, the police were unable to reach the location.

Upon hearing of the hill collapse, Jaintapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Al Bashirul Islam promptly visited the site and provided Tk10,000 in food assistance to each affected family.

The UNO mentioned that an appeal has been made to higher authorities for the rehabilitation of the affected families.

Furthermore, he said, residents residing near or on the hills have been advised to relocate to safer areas.

Abdul Hai, chief coordinator of Save the Heritage and Environment, a local non-governmental organisation Said, We conducted a survey three years ago and identified at least 10,000 families living on hillocks in risky conditions. The number of such families now has obviously increased," "Slicing away at hillocks, deforestation, and unauthorised use of hilly lands were the key reasons behind the landslides," he told that.

The government, however, has no list of such families. It has no visible measures to rehabilitate them and save their lives as well, although the High Court, in an order in 2012, directed the authorities concerned to arrange the rehabilitation of the poor there.

Sylhet district has around 450 hillocks, mostly in the upazilas of Sylhet Sadar, Gopalgonj, Biyani Bazar, Fenchuganj, Jaintapur and Gowainghat.

Our correspondent to several hill areas revealed that the majority of the foothill residents are poor and live there, ignoring the risk of landslides. Islam uddin and his family live on the slope of a hillock, called Jagotila, in the Hawladarpara area of Sylhet city. "It is government land. We live here as we have no other alternatives. We are poor and unable to buy land or afford a rented house," he told.

The middle-aged man expressed his helplessness and said the family dreads rain as it can cause landslides anytime.

"Following a writ petition filed by us in 2012, the High Court banned the cutting of hills in Sylhet. At the same time, it instructed the authorities concerned to rehabilitate the poor people living at risk in the foothills. Ten years on, the directive is yet to be implemented," said Shah Shaheda Akhter, Sylhet coordinator of the Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association.

She told that even the district administration has no idea how many people live at risk there. "Due to the carelessness of the government, accidents and deaths are happening again and again."

"In most of the cases, land-grabbers build houses on the hillocks for the poor and low-income people as a strategy to occupy and cut down the hill land," Shah Shaheda Akhter explained.

Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Sheikh Rasel Hasan told that the hillock residents could not be shifted despite repeated attempts, as many have their own land and houses close to the hills.

"As in previous years, we have through use of mikes several times urged them to move to a safe place. But no one listened. It's a big problem," he added.

"We are now seriously thinking how we can have the families permanently moved. I will instruct the upazila nirbahi officers to prepare a plan in this regard. If anyone is found landless, we will try to bring them under the government's shelter scheme," the deputy commissioner said.