Bandarban to be protected from landslides

Bandarban Correspondent: The government will spend Tk 48.65 crore to prevent the sudden erosion of hill slopes and Matamuhuri river. A project titled ‘Implementation of defense works in Matamuhuri river for the protection of Ansar battalion headquarters and Lamabazar in Lama upazila of Bandarban district’ has been proposed in the planning commission.

The Planning Commission recently held a meeting of the Project Evaluation Committee on the project proposed by the Ministry of Water Resources.

According to the Planning Commission, in the Project Development Project Proposal (DPP), resources of Tk 45.86 crore (Tk 2.95 lakh per meter) have been kept for 1.55 km river bank protection work in Lama Upazila. The proposed design for river bank defense works takes into consideration the flood water height, intensity, velocity etc.

Besides, in the project, the cost of 600 meters long bank defense work on the right bank of Matamuhuri river is estimated at Tk 2.53 lakh per meter. Left bank 950 meters bank defense work is estimated to cost Tk 3.23 lakh per meter. The meeting was also asked about the comparative picture of estimated cost per meter of arrow defense works in other contemporary projects.

According to Planning Commission, Bandarban district is one of the three districts of Chittagong Hill Tracts. The district consists of seven upazilas and 29 unions.

On the other hand, the Matamuhuri River originates in Chokhing Union of Alikadam Upazila of Bandarban District and flows through the vast hilly area of ​​the district and reaches Chakaria Upazila of Cox’s Bazar District and enters the Maheshkhali Channel of the Bay of Bengal. These mountain torrential rivers carry a large volume of water from the Bandarban mountain range. The rivers being flush and sinusoidal take on a very dangerous, torrential and aggressive form during the monsoons.

As a result, government and private establishments, numerous growth centers, educational centers, health centers, cemeteries, union councils, markets, unpaved roads, power transmission lines, religious places of worship and vast fertile crop lands are threatened by river erosion. Also, landslides caused by heavy rains inundate vast areas every year. Therefore, it is necessary to implement long-term sustainable defense works to protect these important installations.

In this situation, the construction along with defense works at the project site will provide long-term protection of the river bank and contribute to the development of tourism industry in the area adjacent to the river bank.