We express profound shock and sorrow at the death of six people in separate landslides triggered by heavy rains in Cox’s Bazar Sadar upazila and at a Rohingya camp in Ukhiya on Friday.
A good number of people meet the tragic end of their lives due to landslides in the hill areas of Chattogram, Rangamati, Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Cox’s Bazar district, as well as parts of the Sylhet region.
Landslides caused by heavy downpours are common in our country during the monsoon season between June and September.
A heavy rainfall triggered two separate landslides on Friday. In Cox’s Bazar Sadar upazila, the landslides claimed the lives of Akhi Moni and her two daughters, Miha Jannat Naima and Latifa Islam. Simultaneously, another landslide at the Ukhiya Rohingya camp resulted in the deaths of Abdul Rahim, Abdul Hafiz and Abdul Wahed. These tragedies, occurring amid widespread flooding, highlight the helplessness of both local residents and displaced populations to extreme weather conditions.
Cox’s Bazar has been experiencing persistent rainfall since Wednesday, leading to severe waterlogging and extensive flooding. The local meteorological office recorded an alarming 453 mm of rain within 24 hours, marking this as one of the heaviest downpours in the region in the past 50 years. The flooding has submerged large areas, stranded over 25,000 tourists and caused significant damage to infrastructure, including roads and agricultural lands.
Cox’s Bazar has been experiencing
persistent rainfall since Wednesday,
leading to severe waterlogging and
extensive flooding.
The underlying causes of these disasters are closely related to human activities. Illegal hill cutting and soil selling, often led by influential people with alleged connections to local administrations, have significantly increased the risk of landslides. Despite several steps taken, including raids and fines, the central issue of environmental degradation remains unresolved. These activities compromise the natural stability of hilly lands, rendering them more susceptible to landslides during heavy rainfall.
Furthermore, the floods have exacerbated the crisis by creating shortages of clean drinking water and food supplies, leaving many people in urgent need of assistance. The local authorities and several relief organisations are working continuously to provide immediate aid, including distributing essential supplies and offering shelter. However, the scale of the disaster necessitates a more coordinated and comprehensive response to address the needs of the affected populations effectively.
To address this crisis, immediate and long-term strategies are required. In the short term, it is necessary to accelerate relief efforts to ensure that those affected receive primary aid promptly. Enhanced coordination between local authorities and national and international relief organisations is essential for a more effective response.
In the long term, efforts should focus on sustainable environmental management and sterner enforcement of regulations against illegal hill cutting. Implementing comprehensive reforestation programmes and improving land-use planning could significantly mitigate the risks associated with landslides and flooding. Moreover, ensuring transparency and accountability in environmental governance is essential to prevent the misuse of natural resources and protect helpless communities.
The recent landslides and flooding in Cox’s Bazar underscore the critical need for an integrated disaster management and environmental conservation approach. Immediate relief efforts must be complemented by sustained and proactive measures to enhance resilience and prevent future tragedies. As the affected communities recover, local and national authorities must take decisive steps to prevent future tragedies and ensure a safer, more resilient future for all. Steps must also be taken to evacuate affected people to safe places as soon as possible.
