Causes of Landslides in Chittagong Hill Tracks, Bangladesh

Abstract

Landslide is a regular hazard in Bangladesh, especially in the Chittagong Hill Tracks (CHT), the Southeastern part of the country. The devastating landslide causes fatalities, injuries and also damage properties
of local residents almost every year. Thus the main objective of this research is to determine the triggering
factors of landslide. This study is carried out in landslide prone sites located in Rangamati, and
Khagrachari area of CHT. Necessary data are collected from both from primary and secondary sources.
Primary sources include questionnaire survey, laboratory test and field observation while secondary
sources encompass journal article, reports, and meteorological data from Bangladesh Metrological
Department. The sample size of the study was 385 respondents. Respondents are selected randomly from
the landslide prone area. Soil samples are also gathered from the study site to examine the soil structure
that may affect landslide. The present study demonstrates that the main reasons for landslide are heavy
rainfall, hill cutting, deforestation, and weak soil structure. Approximately 70 percent of the people in the
study area comment that heavy downpour is the dominant factor of landslide followed by hill cutting 17
percent, and deforestation 13.5 percent. The findings of the study will help to understand the driving forces
of landslide and provide appropriate guidelines for the policy makers.