CHATTOGRAM, Aug 2: The Chattogram district administration has taken a step to remove the illegal residents living in makeshift abodes in risky hills of the city.
"The administration has started the evacuation programme since Wednesday night following the forecast of the Meteorological Department that heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty wind in several places of the country including Chattogram with the apprehension of landslides," said Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakruzaman.
He said that a total of six shelters have been opened in Chattogram for accommodation of 5,000 people.
Later on the numbers of shelters would be increased if there were any requirement, he said.
According to the forecast of the Meteorological Department, the heavy to heavy rainfall may continue till Monday next. SEE
Meanwhile, the rainfall has been continuing since Wednesday last inundating the low lying areas of the city.
During the rainy season in Chattogram, it is regular phenomenon of hill slides or water-logging.
For this reason, Chattogram district administration's routine work is to take steps for removing the illegal occupants from the risky hills every year. It is a continuous programme of the administration for saving the lives of hilly people.
Meanwhile, a total of 6,558 families have been living in 26 hills of the port city, Chattogram, illegally in a very risky condition. Of them, 16 hills belong to government organisations and the rest 10 belong to private ownership.
Of the illegal occupants 3,000 families are living illegally and at risk in the different railway hills including Batali Hill, Motijharna and CRB areas adjacent to Foy's Lake.
It is also alleged that over one hundred hills have been wiped out completely in last 30 years and several hundred innocent people died in landslides caused mainly for the insensible hill cutting in the port city.
The worst suffering areas due to the unabated hill cutting are Matijharna, Khulshi, Panchlaish, Sholoshahar, Baizid Bostami, Foy's Lake, Lalkhan Bazar, Oxygen Intersection and Polytechnic area.
The district administration took steps to evict those illegal occupants every year at the advent of the Rainy season. But strangely, those evicted slum dwellers again resettled in those hills later on.
Death of people in landslides is a common feature of Chattogram particularly in the rainy season. On June 11 in 2007 last, at least 127 people were killed in devastating landslides in different spots of the Chattogram City which is the most dangerous till to date.
Nearly 200 people were killed in hill slides on June 13 in 2017 in five southeastern districts, including Rangamati, Banderban, Khagrachari, Cox's Bazar and Chattogram districts, 11 persons were killed in 2008; 15 were killed in 2009 and 2010, 17 were killed in 2011, 23 were killed in 2012, and 5 were killed in 2013.
According to Met office sources, light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at most places over eight divisions.
The forecast warned of temporary gusty or squally winds accompanying the rain, creating potentially hazardous conditions in these areas.
The axis of monsoon trough runs through Punjab, Hariyana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal to Assam across central part of Bangladesh. One of its associated troughs extends up to the North Bay. Monsoon is active over Bangladesh and strong over the North Bay.
