Landslides kill 30 in Ctg division over 4 days

Landslides, triggered by continuous torrential rains, has killed 30 people in different parts of the Chattogram division over the past four days, said Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Asadul Habib Dulu.

The minister revealed the updated death toll during a parliamentary session on Thursday.

Five people were killed in Chattogram district, 19 in Cox’s Bazar, 5 in Bandarban and 1 in Rangamati, the minister added.

The minister also announced the government’s readiness to relocate people living at the foot of hills and in other high-risk areas of Chattogram division to safer locations with a view to stopping deaths from landslides, which occur every year.

The government is also ready to build homes for them in these new locations, he noted, asking local lawmakers and government representatives in Chattogram to extend support in this regard.

The government has a large amount of ready and abandoned land as well as land under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Asadul Habib Dulu said.

But proper awareness raising campaign is needed to encourage people to relocate, and the lawmakers can play a crucial role in these campaigns, the minister said.

For the time being, 41 shelters have been opened in Chattogram, 640 in Cox's Bazar, 21 in Rangamati, 135 in Khagrachhari, and 220 in Bandarban.

A total of 8,340 people have taken shelter in Chattogram, 12,006 in Cox's Bazar, 1,755 in Khagrachhari, and 2,173 in Bandarban.

Each shelter has adequate supply of drinking water, sanitation facilities, three-time meal a day and baby food, Asadul Habib Dulu said.

The disaster management and relief minister said that on 7 July, each affected district was allocated Tk10 lakh in cash and 200 metric tonnes of rice for relief efforts.

In addition, fresh allocations were approved Thursday: Tk25 lakh for Chattogram, Tk20 lakh for Cox's Bazar, and Tk10 lakh each for Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban.

He also said that, as food assistance, 300 metric tonnes of rice have been allocated for Chattogram, 250 metric tonnes for Cox's Bazar, and 200 metric tonnes each for Khagrachhari and Bandarban.

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu further said that Tk20 lakh has also been allocated to each affected district from the Prime Minister's Relief and Welfare Fund.