In Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, approximately 50,000 people living in hilly areas are facing grave dangers as the monsoon season brings the threat of landslides. The onset of heavy rains has heightened fears among these low-income residents, who are reluctant to leave their vulnerable homes despite the imminent risk.

Teknaf, July 4 (V7N)- Around 50,000 people living in the hills and hillocks of Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar are at significant risk of landslides during the monsoon season. As the rainy season begins and heavy rains commence, anxiety intensifies among these residents.

Heavy rains lead to casualties, including deaths, due to landslides. Despite the known risks, most of these residents, who are low-income individuals, are reluctant to leave their low-rent houses on the hills and at the foot of the hills.
There are allegations that influential individuals allow low-income people to live on these hills and hillocks to maintain illegal occupations. The administration's efforts to evict these residents are largely limited to public announcements.
Due to the heavy rain that started on Monday morning, there is an increased risk of hill collapses and landslides in Teknaf Hill, Cox's Bazar. More than 100 new houses have been built on 12 identified risky hills in the past year, putting thousands of people at further risk.
 
The local administration becomes active primarily during the monsoon. Throughout the year, the administration remains silent, but efforts to evacuate residents from risky areas intensify during heavy rains. Evacuation plans are being made, and public announcements are ongoing to urge residents to move to safer locations.
 
Identified Risk Areas
 
According to upazila administration sources, 32 hilly settlements in Hneela, Baharchhara, Whykong, and Teknaf municipalities have been identified as vulnerable to landslides. Around 50,000 people from approximately 7,000 families live in these dangerous areas. The at-risk areas include Fakiramura, Baidyor Ghona, Kuwait Mosque, Puran Pallan Para, Naitong Para, Baraitali, Ghumtali, and several others.
 
Official Statements
 
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Adnan Chowdhury stated: "Residents of the risky areas are being asked to move away from the hills due to continuous rains. Shelters have been kept open for them. We are creating a list of high-risk residents and will evacuate them accordingly. Public announcements are made daily to encourage moving to safe places.”
 
Historical Context & Community Concerns
 
The local community fears major natural disasters in the future if settlements continue razing the hills. In 2010, 33 people were killed in Teknaf due to landslides, and 15 people, including children and women, were killed in the unions of Ukhia during continuous rains in 2010 and 2012.
 
Influential groups often allow people to live at the foot of the hills for a nominal fee. Every year, the administration identifies families living illegally in dangerous hills, but these groups remain unaccounted for.
 
M. Ibrahim Khalil Mamun, chief executive of Cox's Bazar's environmental organization Youth Environment Society (YES), said: "This problem persists because government agencies are not fulfilling their responsibilities properly. The administration has never identified the main culprits behind building settlements around the hills. Legal action is not taken against them."
 
Abul Kalam, officer-in-charge of the Teknaf Range of the Forest Department, stated: "One and a half thousand people are at risk in the hills of my area. To avoid loss of life due to heavy rain, they have been instructed to move away from the risk areas.”
 
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