Local Correspondent ; Chattogram — At least 26 people have been killed in a devastating series of more than 200 landslides across five districts in the Chattogram division, triggered by consecutive days of torrential rainfall between July 5 and July 9.
An analysis of the disaster zones reveals a grim, recurring pattern: victims were living in poorly constructed homes built directly on or beneath dangerously excavated slopes.
Cox’s Bazar suffered the highest toll, accounting for 17 of the fatalities. As public outrage grows over the lack of administrative oversight, environmental authorities claim they lacked prior information regarding the illegal hill cutting that directly precipitated the tragedies.
The Four Root Causes of the Crisis
Environmental researchers and geologists point out that these disasters are far from natural, identifying four primary systemic drivers behind the escalating crisis:
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Fragile Soil Composition: The geological structure of these hills consists of sand, silt, and soft clay, which absorbs water rapidly during heavy rains, leading to immediate structural failure.
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Deforestation & Altered Farming: The transformation of traditional Jhum (slash-and-burn) cultivation and widespread deforestation have stripped the hills of the root systems that naturally anchor the soil.
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Unplanned Infrastructure: Both public and private development projects routinely cut into slopes without conducting prior geological surveys.
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Destruction of Natural Topography: Flattening or vertically slicing hills disrupts their natural equilibrium, making them highly vulnerable to sudden collapses.
A Trail of Avoidable Tragedies
Recent incidents underscore how human interference has turned heavy rains into deadly events. In Chattogram city’s Chashma Hill Residential area, a hillside owned by a local individual was sliced vertically down to a steep 60-foot drop.
A makeshift settlement, the Abdul Jabbar Colony, was built directly underneath it. On July 8, the rain-soaked hill gave way, crushing a tin-shed house and killing a young girl named Sumaiya Akhtar.
On the exact same day in Sitakunda’s Jungle Salimpur, a six-month-old infant lost his life when an illegally leveled government-owned hill collapsed onto a residence built on a 30-to-40-foot slope.
In both instances, the Department of Environment (DoE) admitted they had no record of the illegal earth-cutting and had issued no advance warnings.
Meanwhile, Cox’s Bazar became a focal point of disaster over the five-day period. On July 5, landslides at the Ukhiya Rohingya camp killed eight refugees, while two additional deaths were reported in Cox’s Bazar Sadar and Pekua.
On July 8, five child students were killed in another landslide within the Ukhiya camps, followed by two more fatalities in Chakaria the next day.
“The Rohingya residents had been cutting down the hills according to their own needs to carve out hollow spaces for shelter,” said Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammed Mizanur Rahman. “During the heavy downpours, sections of these compromised hills collapsed directly onto the shelters below, leading to the casualties.”
The devastation extended into the Chittagong Hill Tracts as well. In Rangamati’s Baghaichhari, Laxmi Bilas Chakma (40) was killed while feeding cattle in a shed built at the base of a 100-foot hill.
He had modified the hill’s natural slope himself to construct the shed. In Bandarban’s Lama upazila, five people lost their lives after building homes beneath two excavated government-owned hills.
Systemic Failures and Official Responses
Data collected between July 5 and July 11 shows that Rangamati experienced the highest frequency of landslides, with 135 incidents resulting in two deaths. Bandarban recorded 23 landslides with five deaths, while Chattogram saw 34 incidents claiming two lives.
Experts stress that improper excavation is structurally undermining the hills. Dr. Md. Iqbal Sarwar, a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Chittagong, explained that the sandy, silty soil no longer binds effectively with tree roots because the vegetation has been stripped away.
Consequently, heavy rainfall causes the topsoil to liquefy and slide down the slopes.
Local authorities are now scrambling to respond. Muktadir Hasan, Assistant Director of the DoE (Chattogram Metro), stated that investigations are underway to identify those responsible for the illegal hill cutting, and legal action is being processed.
Adding to this, Hasan Maruf, Khagrachhari’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), noted that unplanned settlements and aggressive cultivation practices have left the hills entirely bare.
Saiful Islam, Rangamati District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer, noted a worrying trend: “Landslides did not occur with such high frequency in the past. What we are witnessing now is an unprecedented escalation.”
As the monsoon season continues, the vulnerability of the Chattogram region remains critical.
Without immediate evictions of risky slope settlements, strict enforcement of environmental protection laws against illegal hill cutting, and comprehensive reforestation initiatives, these hills will continue to pose a fatal threat to thousands of marginalized residents.
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