Rohingya encroachment aiding landslides in Bangladesh, says Minister

According to reports, the minister said that Rohingya refugees have used up around 5000 acres of forest lands, causing soil erosion, resulting in landslides.

"We talked about hill cutting, leasing out forest land, encroachment on forests and rivers and river pollution, and how the DCs could be involved in preventing these. We also talked about the reforestation of 5,000 acres of forest land in Cox’s Bazar," Mahmud told reporters following the end of the first working session of the second day of the DC Conference at the secretariat on Wednesday.

"The main reason behind deaths in landslides is the cutting of trees and illegal establishments on the hill sides.

“Unlike hills in other places, ours are mostly earthen. So if the illegal establishments cannot be abolished from the hills, deaths from landslides cannot be stopped,” the lawmaker said.

Rohingya refugees, who entered Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar region last year, following a conflict in their native, Myanmar's Rakhine state, have chopped down woods, suing it as fuel.

"The deforestation and hill cutting are no one person's fault. We have a massive population and we do not have enough land for them. That is why even when we evict people from the hills they keep coming back,” Mahmud said.

He also urged the federal government to look for a permanent solution.

“We have to evict them permanently and create accommodation and rehabilitation for them.”

Image: UN website