Hills lost to greed

Many hilly areas in Tangail's Ghatail upazila have been flattened due to rampant cutting of red clay hillocks by soil traders allegedly supported by local influential people.

As actions were not taken to prevent this practice in due time, the distinct geological feature of this part of the country has been disappearing slowly, putting the region's biodiversity in grave danger, according to experts.

Ghatail was home to around 500 small and large hillocks only two decades ago, said environmentalists. Most of the hillocks were in Sadar, Sandhanpur, Sangrampur, Deopara and Dhalapara unions.

In the process, roads have also been damaged due to the carrying of soil on heavy trucks, especially at nighttime.

Environmentalists alleged that soil traders have the support of local influential people with political clout and public representatives. The soil is mostly sold to local brick kilns and used to fill low or wetlands and construct roads.

A recent study by the Department of Environmental Science and Resource Management of Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University found that hillocks in Tangail were transforming due to commercialisation and urbanisation.

Earlier, the plunderers used to clear the forests on the hillocks. The earth traders have also been extracting soil from the government's reserve forests surrounding the hillocks, alleged locals.

Contacted, Sazzadur Rahman, Tangail's divisional forest officer (DFO), told this correspondent that they have already seized 14 excavators from Ghatail and adjacent Sakhipur upazilas in the last six months on charges of extracting soil from forestlands.

Several cases have also been filed in this regard, he informed.

Goutam Chandra Chanda, divisional coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela), said many red clay hillocks in Ghatail's adjacent Sakhipur, Mirzapur and Madhupur upazilas under the Garh region have already been flattened.

The Tangail Sal forest grew around these hillocks, which have already disappeared, he said.

About three decades ago, these hillocks, locally known as "Chala" and "Tila", were covered in vegetation and were a habitat for birds and snakes. Razing the hillocks also raises the risk of landslides, he said.

"We could not recover this unique asset bestowed upon us by nature. We have already lost it due to negligence by the authorities concerned to protect the hillocks," said Goutam.

"The local administration should save the rest of the hillocks at any cost. The Department of Environment has not performed their duties for saving the hillocks at all," he added.

When asked, Munia Chowdhury, upazila nirbahi officer of Ghatail, said they cannot run behind the plunderers keeping all administrative work with more stakeholders aside.

"However, during the drives conducted by mobile courts, several such plunderers involved with the hill cutting were fined," she added.

Contacted, Jamir Uddin, DoE deputy director in Tangail, said he has already visited the spot. "Preparations are currently ongoing to file cases in this regard," he added.