Experts call for risk-sensitive hill management to reduce landslide threats in Ctg, Bandarban

Experts, policymakers and urban planners today (7 May) stressed the need for urgent implementation of risk-sensitive land management policies to reduce recurring landslide disasters in Chattogram and Bandarban ahead of the monsoon season.

The call came during a policy paper dissemination programme on hill land management organised by Save the Children with support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) at Hotel Agrabad, according to a press release. 

The event was supported by technical partners Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), Development Associates and Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES).

Presenting the keynote paper, Md Akter Mahmud said landslides in the southeastern hilly districts are increasingly being driven by human activities such as indiscriminate hill cutting, unplanned urbanisation and deforestation.

The paper recommended institutionalising Risk-Sensitive Land Use Planning (RSLUP) through hazard-based zoning, mandatory geotechnical assessments and ecosystem-based slope stabilisation measures.

According to the findings, June and July remain the most vulnerable months for landslides in Chattogram and Bandarban, underscoring the need for threshold-based early warning systems to ensure timely evacuation of at-risk communities.

Chief guest Mohammad Ashraful Amin said Chattogram remains highly vulnerable to landslides during the upcoming monsoon season.

He said the policy paper could play an important role in developing a structured and professional hill management system for vulnerable slopes across the city.

While noting that the Chattogram City Corporation does not encourage settlements in risky hill areas, he acknowledged the socioeconomic realities of residents living there.

"We have to consider both human safety and the economic dependency of people living in those areas," he said, expressing hope that the recommendations would support more professional management of hill settlements.

During the panel discussion, Iqbal Sarowar highlighted the environmental impacts of landslides, saying repeated hill degradation is causing severe biodiversity loss and topsoil erosion.

He said the destruction of natural vegetation weakens root-binding capacity, one of the key natural protections against slope collapse.

Meanwhile, ATM Shahjahan pointed to major engineering and planning deficiencies behind recurring landslide incidents.

According to him, poorly engineered infrastructure, weak slope protection measures and illegal commercial activities such as brick kilns near hill areas are further destabilising fragile geological structures.

The programme concluded with the presentation of a long-term roadmap aimed at shifting disaster management efforts from emergency response toward resilience-focused planning over the next decade.

The roadmap proposed forming a dedicated enforcement task force to stop illegal hill cutting, preparing high-resolution hazard maps and gradually relocating highly exposed settlements.

It also recommended expanding successful Risk-Sensitive Land Use Planning models across all hill districts to ensure that ecological restoration and public safety remain central to future development planning.