Fined Tk 100m for destroying biodiversity, CDA seeks to raze hills further to reduce landslide risks

Penalised for cutting hills illegally to construct roads, the Chattogram Development Authority or CDA now wants to cut the hills further to reduce the risk of landslide.

The hills from Fouzdarhat to Bayezid Bostami along the six-kilometre Dhaka Trunk Road were cut at a 90-degree angle, creating huge risks of landslide.

After heavy rains on Friday, parts of the hills collapsed at different points of the road.

In a new proposal made two weeks ago, the CDA sought permission from the Department of Environment or DoE to trim 200,000 cubic feet of the hills at a 45-degree angle, according to CDA Engineer Rajib Das.

A higher slope than 45 degrees will lead to erosion in future as the amount of sand in the hills is very high, said Rajib, who is also the director of the construction project.

It is the second proposal after the DoE had rejected the first one around three months ago for not mentioning the angles and design, said Nurullah Noori, the DoE director for the metro region.

The road opened to traffic a month ago though the construction has still going on.

Taking the new road, vehicles from Kaptai, Rangamati, Hathazari, Raujan and Rangunia can get on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway without having to enter the port city.    

“Vehicles are running in both directions on one lane. It’s very risky during rains. The risk (of casualties) is also very high because many people hang out in the place,” Noori said.

‘FAST ACTION’

Sharif Chowhan, the president of environmental organisation People's Voice, expressed ire over the “lawlessness” in the project.

“The hills would not have been risky had the road been constructed upon following the instructions. And there would have been no need for further hill-cutting,” he said.

“Now the authorities should take steps at the quickest possible time to protect the hills. Otherwise, disaster will strike anytime,” he added.

Sharif also pointed out that several individuals and organisations are encroaching on the roadside spaces as the authorities have not set up hillside retaining walls.

Md Towhidul Islam, the district executive magistrate who has headed a number of eviction drives in the hilly areas along the road, said parts of the hills collapsed after rains on Friday. 

The DoE and CDA surveyed the area after the magistrate reported on Jun 7 the landslide risks created by the cutting of the hills in breach of the department’s guidelines.

“We will begin the work quickly after getting the DoE’s approval. The retention walls have been included in the project. We want to finish them before the next dry season,” said Kazi Hasan Bin Shams, the chief engineer of CDA.

PUNISHMENT

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the project implemented at an estimated cost of over Tk 1.72 billion in June, 2016.

The government later decided to make the road with four lanes instead of two, which inflated the cost to Tk 3.2 billon.

After serving two reminders in 2017, the DoE had fined the CDA Tk 1 million for causing environmental damage in implementing the project. 

The illegal hill-cutting, however, did not stop. As many as 18 hills were allegedly razed allegedly beyond the permitted levels under the project in Pahartoli, Jalalabad and Salimpur.

In February 2020, the department fined the development agency over Tk 100 million for damaging the biodiversity, surface soil, and binding capacity of the hills by razing them.

CDA cut off 69,000 cubic feet more hills than the permitted level of 250,000 cubic feet.

It also flouted the hill-cutting management plan by razing the hills at an angle of 90 degrees.

During a visit that month, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin said he noticed that the constructors did not follow the rules on creating slopes while cutting hills.

Exploiting the restrictions on movement over the coronavirus outbreak, the encroachers have grabbed around 15 acres of land by cutting the hills further and constructed more than 400 illegal structure at different locations. The district administration later cleared the places.