Landslide risk on Tanguar Haor road

Indiscriminate hill-cutting, unplanned house construction and administration negligence have contributed to make travelling along the Tanguar Haor road in Barektila of Taherpur upazila in Sunamganj a risky proposition. Tourists and locals alike are fearful.

“This road is dangerous for all,” says Mumtaj Uddin Ahmed, a tourist from Dhaka on his way to visit the haor. “From the higher side it seems alright but when seen from the lower portions, it's clear there is a significant chance of a landslide. If tourists knew the road condition beforehand they would lose interest to visit Tanguar Haor.”

“Tanguar Haor is well-known around the world,” says another tourist, Akther-uz-Zaman, 38. “But the hilltop road has become so risky.”

“This road has been in poor condition for a long time,” says motorcycle rider Ruhan Mia. “If there is any accident people could well die.”

“I rented a motorcycle and then I saw the Barektila road,” says Samir Mahmud, 35, a tourist from Chittagong. “I was so scared because one side of the road is severely damaged and a landslide could happen at any time.”

According to Sumon Mia, from Barektila village, no government official has visited the area to inspect the road.

“The population in the area is rising,” says Abdul Karim Kim, general secretary of the Sylhet chapter of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon. “For this reason many hills have been cut without thought to make houses and the local administration has done nothing to stop it.”

He believes strict law enforcement is needed to save the hills and protect the road. “It's easy to level a hill,” he says, “but not so easy to rebuild one.”

The road is used by hundreds of tourists and locals every day.

According to environmentalists, when it rains the water soaks the hill soil causing it to become loose and heavy. If the rain's intensity is too great the hill slope will not be able to bear the weight of the mud and a landslide will occur.

The chairman of Taherpur upazila, Kamruzzaman Kamrul, is likewise concerned about the road's condition. “I hold grave fears there can be a landslide at any moment in some areas,” he says. “I have already spoken with our higher authorities in this regard.”