Agricultural Research Management Information System

Home
Research Summary
Search
About Us
- ARMIS
- Brochure
Contact Us
Report
User Request
Data Input
Help
- Operation Manual
  - PDF
  - Video
- Program Area & Commodity
We have reached 37600 number of research entries at this moment.

- Logout

Research Detail

Home
Research
Detail

Destroying Hills in the Northeastern Part of Bangladesh: a Qualitative Assessment of Extent of the Problem and Its Probable Impact

Md. Sirajul Islam
Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Banani, Dhaka, Bangladesh

G. M. Jahid Hasan
Takewaka Laboratory, Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan

Md. Aktarul Islam Chowdhury
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Indiscriminate cutting of hills in the Sylhet region has become a major environmental issue. The nature and lifestyle of Sylhet intimately related with the hills are thus under the threat of a drastic imbalance in its ecosystem. Due to such hill cutting the mostly affected sectors of this region will be its weather and climate, geomorphology and hydrology, and the indigenous flora and fauna. As a result, the frequency of natural calamities like earthquakes, flash flooding etc may increase considerably. Deforestation and resulting increased soil erosion, decreased groundwater recharge and deteriorated water quality might also be as consequences of such hill cutting. This paper investigates the cause and extent of the problem along with its probable impact and finally suggests actions for the conservation of hills for the ecological balance of the region.

Keywords: Hill cutting, Extent of the issue, Probable impact, Legal aspects, Sylhet

Location: Sylhet region of Bangladesh

Start Date: 00-00-2003

End Date:

Program Area: Risk Management in Agriculture

Non-commodity: Constraints, Impact

Objectives:

The paper likes to investigate the issue for specific causes and probable consequences considering it as a serious threat to the ecological imbalance of the region. This Study has been done in Sylhet region of Bangladesh in 2003.

Methodology:

Sylhet region has a significant numbers of hills all around. Small areas of the Meghalaya Plateau foothills fall within Bangladesh situated mostly near the border areas of Sylhet. However, small hills, locally known as tilas are found scattered at many places along the Sylhet city up to Srimangal and Maulovibazar. Height of the hills of this region ranges from 60 to 150 meters and the tilas ranges from 30 to 90 meters. According to Brammer (2002) the geological formation is mainly of pliestocene era and soil type is slightly acidic. Haor basin extends from two rivers to the high plain of central Sylhet. This basin covers an area of 4505.20 sq. km. A major part of this basin is developed due to the earthquake of 1762. Haor basin goes underwater for several months and the soil condition of it is clay with loams. The flood plain is higher at this region than the rest of the part of the country. The flood plains cover the lands of above 9 m high. It also includes beels and haors of height above 9 m and most of these beels and haors drain out in early winter. Northern branch of river Barak (comes from India) gets the name Surma which is one of the main river of Bangladesh passed through Sylhet city. The southern branch of Barak gets the name Kushiara in Bangladesh, which is another major river of Sylhet. Surma and Kushiara make unification as Kalani, which is renamed as Meghna and finally merges with the Bay of Bengal. Other important rivers are: Mogra, Dhanu, Boulai and Ghorautra. Main characteristic of rivers of this region is flashy and flash flood occurs frequently during May to the middle of October. The networks of the rivers, streams and channels overflow in the rainy season and fill the haors at the early part of rainy season.

Climate The temperature and rainfall data has been collected from the Meteorological Department of Bangladesh and showed in Table 1. It is observed that the summer is becoming hot nowadays and reverse in winter. However, the average annual rainfall is also reducing. Destroying hills may have some effects on this weather changing which is hampering the ecosystem in this region seriously. Sylhet region is rich in forest with diversified flora and fauna. The distribution of forest of Sylhet region is: Reserved forest (124.94 sq. km), Acquired forest (71.80 sq. km), Un-classed forest (56.70 sq. km), Khas forest (12.61 sq. km) and Private forest (32.22 sq. km) by Rashid (1991). Major forest and corn resources are: Bamboos and Canes; Hijal, Jam, Jarul; Nol kagra and Ekra reeds; Tea, Rubber and Coffee in hillock areas; Potato, Pineapple, Jackfruits, Chillis, Tobacco, Mustard, Bettle leaf; Paddy and vegetables etc. Besides different types of snakes, wild animals like monkey, flying fox etc are found in the hilly forest of Sylhet region. Numerous types of birds and fishes are also available abundantly in the haors and rivers. It becomes a burning question for the Sylhet region that nowadays people are indiscriminately destroying the hills. The most affected region is just near the Sylhet city. Hill cutting along Srimongal and Maulovibazar is also observed. It is estimated that every year about 5 to 12% of the total hills and tillas are cut or destroyed in different forms at different parts of the region (SDF, 2001). Already mentioned that hills of Sylhet are very related with its geographical and hydrological features. Forest ecosystem, wetland, high flood plain or hydroclimatic features of the region are some of the factors mostly related to the hills for determining the ecosystem interactions of the study region. The study of the impact on ecosystem was mainly aimed at finding probable interactions between the above factors with the hills. However, at the first place it is necessary to investigate why people are destroying the hills and how is the problem escalating. So there are two main parts of the study adopted, as; 1. Investigating the cause and extent of the problem 2. Determining its impact on the ecosystem. Although any impact study needs huge amount of data of long span from different relevant sectors, the data availability of the relevant study is not of ample magnitude to support a detailed phenomenon as the study is at the initial stage of investigating theoretical aspects of the impacts related to hill cutting effects.

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

From the above discussion, it is clear that the extent of the hill cutting problem in the Sylhet region is a matter of concern that needs some special attention to be paid. Such indiscriminate destruction of hills in the region will result in drastic consequences on its nature and ecosystem threatening life and properties. Some of the most serious impacts that are of special concern for the region change in climatic conditions and drainage pattern, desertification, deforestation, increase in flood frequency and impact on biodiversity, the possibility of earthquake occurrence etc. Hill cutting is the kind of crime whose impact will be far-reaching, to be felt over centuries. The paper mainly aimed at unveiling the situation with specific causes, extent and probable impacts; detail proposal for stopping hill cutting has not been proposed here but needs some further studies. The authority of this region can start a separate department aiming to prevent destroying of hills and preserve the natural resources. This department can monitor the issue closely and take necessary measures to protect the hills from its abusive use. However, in a nut cover it can be proposed that sophisticated method for monitoring hill cutting including GIS-based arial photograph, better clarification of laws, restricting some areas strictly not permitted to cut, increasing public awareness about the consequence of abusive destruction of natural morphology, consultation with experts and including them in the permission committee, studying advanced technologies to use hills for beneficial purposes without much hampering its natural condition etc might be some measures to prevent hill cutting and resulting impacts.

Hence immediate action is required for the conservation of the hills and hillocks so that people of the Sylhet region can save themselves from the future revenge of nature.

Knowledge Management: Journal