Chittagong, June 07: Bangladesh might be hit by a major disaster "any time" unless indiscriminate cutting of hills is stopped in southeastern parts of this South Asian country, an expert warned here today. "Our hills have been mostly levelled causing an environmental imbalance," said Jahangir Alam, coordinator of Bangladesh's lone earthquake research Centre based in this port city. "This destruction of hills is not only spoiling the beauty of this city and its surroundings, but might also trigger natural disasters like earthquakes and mudslides," he told a news agency.

The rugged Chittagong region has been jolted by more than 100 tremors in the past 30 months, meteorologists here said.

Five people were killed and several others injured when a tremor hit Chittagong in 1999, triggering a mudslide which damaged a building in which they were staying.


"A permanent ban on hill cutting must be enforced or we will face a major disaster any time," Alam said, days after a minor tremor sent panic-stricken people out of their homes.


Hills in Chittagong are being cut legally and illegally for construction of new buildings and the setting up of brick kilns. More than 200 hills have been levelled over the past two decades, according to official estimates.

Mosharraf Hossain, the government's chief environment officer for Chittagong, said they were doing everything possible to stop illegal hill cutting.

"Whenever we are tipped off about illegal hill cutting we take immediate action," he told a news agency. Bureau Report