BNUS Starts Research Work on Natural Slope Stability Analysis of some Existing Livestock Shelters (Killas) for Cyclone in Bangladesh

 

Bangladesh is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world where over last 40 years different scales of cyclones have been affecting with loss of valuable lives and properties. According to the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management of Government of Bangladesh (GoB), the total estimated loss in Livestock sector due to the Cyclone SIDR 2007 is USD 0.188 million. Different surveys indicate that the majority of the population living in the High Risk Areas for cyclone is low-income. The main economic assets of these communities are household possessions and large numbers of livestock and as a result, residents place a high priority on sequestering their cattle, goats and poultry before taking refuge in cyclone shelters. Therefore building mounded lands or animal shelters and continuing their proper maintenance have become essential. Under various cyclone shelter projects funded by GoB and NGOs, small hills or raised earthen platforms called “Killa”, often physically linked to shelters, have been constructed to safeguard livestock of the Cyclone prone areas. Killas are seldom maintained by the communities or even the authorities. So there is a need of assessing the stability of these raised lands so that the Killas themselves do not become vulnerable during cyclone owing to landslides caused by huge livestock loads. BNUS has undertaken a research work on the Natural Stability Analysis of some Existing Killas of Bangladesh. Soil Samples from the selected Killas have been collected for investigation. After completion of the laboratory tests the result of the stability analysis would be presented.

 

A Killa in Patharghata, Barguna
A Killa in Bethua, Chakaria, Cox’s Bazar

 

 

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