Hills Being Cut Down in Broad Daylight

Cox’s Bazar Bureau

Hills are being openly cut down and their soil removed beside the bypass road in Cox’s Bazar town and near the Nongor area. Without any attempt to hide the activity, workers are being employed to cut the hills, while the soil is being carried away by trucks and handcarts.

The activity is destroying hills and the environment on one hand and increasing the risk of landslides on the other. Yet questions have been raised about the effectiveness of monitoring by the relevant authorities, as such activities are continuing beside an important road.

The photographs show the alarming extent of hill cutting. One part of a hill has been cut out, creating a deep hole. Several handcarts and soil-cutting tools have been placed there to remove the soil. The slope of the hill has been cut and made almost vertical. In some places, the upper parts of the hill have also become vulnerable due to the removal of soil.

Locals allege that a group involved in cutting hills, selling soil and levelling land has been active in different parts of Cox’s Bazar for a long time. Taking advantage of opportunities, they cut and remove hill soil. Sometimes workers remove the soil manually, while at other times the soil is transported elsewhere using different vehicles. As a result, small and large hills are gradually disappearing.

Hill Cutting Increases Risk of Landslides
Environmentalists say cutting the natural slopes of hills weakens soil stability. During the monsoon, in particular, heavy rainwater can enter the cut sections of hills, making the soil soft and triggering landslides. This could put nearby settlements, roads and human lives at serious risk.

Landslides are not a new phenomenon in Cox’s Bazar. Every year during the monsoon, landslides in different parts of the district cause deaths and damage to property. Despite this, hill-cutting activities resume after remaining suspended for some time following enforcement drives. The most worrying issue is how hills can be openly cut beside an important public road such as the bypass. This question is now being raised widely by local residents.

Locals question how effective regular monitoring by the administration, the Department of Environment and law enforcement agencies really is if hills can be cut by employing workers during the daytime.

There are allegations that not only workers but also landowners, occupants, soil traders and influential individuals may be involved in hill cutting. There may also be links with officials or personnel of the Department of Environment. Therefore, simply arresting workers from the site or seizing equipment will not be enough to stop hill cutting.

Concerned citizens have demanded an immediate on-site investigation into the allegations of hill cutting beside the bypass road and in the Nongor area. It is important to investigate who is cutting the hills, who owns or controls the land where the cutting is taking place, where the removed soil is being taken, and who is providing the money and instructions behind the activity.

Locals have also demanded that those involved in hill cutting be identified and legal action be taken under environmental laws. They have further called for the arrest of the masterminds behind the alleged hill-cutting syndicate, if necessary. At the same time, demands have been made to determine the extent of the hill cutting, verify whether the hills are being cut for the construction of illegal structures, and establish permanent monitoring to prevent further hill cutting in the area.

Protecting the hills and forests of Cox’s Bazar is not only an environmental issue; it is also directly linked to public safety. If opportunities are allowed to develop settlements, structures or business establishments by cutting hills, the consequences could eventually be devastating. Therefore, concerned citizens believe the allegations of hill cutting beside the bypass road should be treated seriously.

They have called for immediate enforcement drives in other parts of the district as well, identification and arrest of those involved, and strict legal action against the people behind the activities. According to them, the administration must intervene firmly while the hills are being cut, not after they have already been destroyed. Otherwise, one day the remaining hills of Cox’s Bazar may exist only in photographs.