Banderban, Rangamati and Khagracchari are the three hill districts that cover one –tenth [5089 squire miles] of our total land volume. It is officially and widely known as Chittagong Hill Tracts [CHT] is totally different from any other parts of this country for its special topography and different lifestyle of the people living in this area. The CHT is covered with wide ranges of hills, clefts and forests and inhabited originally by 11 ethnic communities-- Chankma, Marma, Mro, Tripura, Tonchainga, Bawm, Lusai, Khumi, Khyang Kuki, Sak and Pankhua. Besides, a huge numbers of “Bangali” settlers, making 48% of its total population are also living there presently. Almost all of the indigenous people of CHT are directly and indirectly dependent on Jhum.
The land features of CHT have compelled the indigenous people to practice Jhum to produce necessary crops for their living. As per the reputed Forestal Report 1966, only 3% [76466 acres] land of CHT is cultivable for all purpose of agriculture. The hill people suspect that this amount of land is not available now because by this time thousands of Banglis have got settlement on the plain land. Besides, the rise of water level in Kaptai Lake has inundated a huge portion of flat land. This harsh reality is forcing the indigenous people to climb up to the rocky hill tops to practice Jhum for their livelihood.
Now a days the argument of the environmentalists, government and non- government development agencies against jhum is stronger than it was anytime in the past. These groups are blaming that the Jhum practice is causing a serious environmental degradation in CHT by creating deforestation and enhancing soil erosion. And all are suggesting to finding out some alternative option of Jhum cultivation.
Visiting frequently for last two years many remotely villages of the CHT I have seen some of the initiatives which are being tried to establish as alternatives to the “harmful” Jhum cultivation. These alternative options are the pineapple gardening, planting teak, and some other fast growing verities of trees like eucalyptus, and acacia. There are some tea estates, and policy makers presently are discussing about wider scale tea production in CHT. Government is trying also to promote large scale rubber gardening project here. Besides numbers of cigarette companies are trying desperately to motivate the innocent indigenous people in tobacco production. A remarkable part of the land which in past was used to produce vegetables and food grain has now gone under tobacco cultivation.
These alternative options are not sustainable at all. It is creating different adverse affects on the ecology of the CHT. Many indigenous people along with the government and NGOs are now planting the exotic verities of trees like teak, acacia and eucalyptus cleaning the indigenous forests without thinking its long term implications on the environment. These exotic verities [including pineapple] do not allow any kind of vegetation under its shed and consequently it causes severe soil erosion. Visiting many teak forests I have seen that the roots of the teak trees have become exposed due to the erosion. The most dangerous thing is; this exotic verity depletes water tables. Hundreds of the springs and streams have dried out meanwhile due to the water table depletion. This time I do not want go deep into this issue because last year I have made it detail in my article published in the Daily Star [18.06.04] and Bangladesh Observer
[14.05.04]. But once again I want to flag it up that if the present trend of death of the spring and streams continue few more years the CHT will face a severe water crisis.
The suggestions of the development agencies and the policy makers are contradicting with long practiced living style of the indigenous people. For example the main crop of the Jhum is rice which has the uniqueness in terms of taste and smell. The indigenous people can not think of having any other types of rice giving it up. The teak and other trees may give them money, but that money will not be able to satisfy them said the villagers of the Kodompru para under Roangchhari upazilla in Banderban. CHT at present has the deficiency in food grain. This deficiency will be accelerating in future if Jhum cultivation comes under restriction
Captain Lewin in his famous book has written that the Jhum has an implication on the health of the Jhum cultivators. He mentioned that the people who leave the village during the Jhum cultivation remain healthier than the people who remain static in the village round the year.
The indigenous people disagree that that Jhum practice is causing any soil erosion. They argue that as they never displace any roots of the plants, and do not plough the slops, the soil texture remains unbroken. The first splash of the rain just washes away some ashes which were produced by burning the bushes for cleaning the hill slopes. These ashes however increase the fertility of the soil. Immediately after the first shower of rain the seeds are sown just poking the hill with a sharp piece of bamboo or the dao [a piece big sharp of blood fixed with the wooden handle]. The weeds and crops covers the hill slops very fast and it checks the soil erosion. By the September the Jhum field recovers its previous greenery with grass and foliage
However, there is no scope to deny completely that soil is not eroding at all due to the Jhum, as the Jhumias are claiming. There definitely will have a natural rate of soil erosion. It is happening even in the plain land. The erosion of the plain land however has a chance to be recovered through the flood, which is lacking the hill slops. But it is true at the same time that the Jhum was sustainable form of agriculture in past when the interval between two Jhums was at least 15 years. Presently, the population pressure and shrunk of the cultivable land have minimized the interval to 3 years only. Therefore, it is not the Jhum, but excessive pressures on the land are the main reason that upsetting the total ecological equilibrium of the CHT.
Taking different initiatives government wants to prove that the Jhumias are the enemy of the environment but government is trying to protect it sincerely. But, if the activities of the government are analyzed critically it can be understood easily that it is the government’s policies in different eras, not the Jhumias have done all the harms of the CHT ecology and its people consequently. Some instances I want to produce here
The British government had taken the initiative to stop Jhum cultivation at first. The welfare of the hill people was not the concern of the initiatives. British government wanted to make the moving indigenous people settled in a fixed village so that they can easily and regularly collect the tax.
The Pakistan government with the financial aid from USAID has built the Kaptai Hydro Electricity Project that inundated 54000 acres of the best cultivable land and displaced thousands of indigenous people from their settlement. It has created an unusual pressure on land in CHT. The interval in the Jhum cycle has fallen drastically after starting of this project.
An abnormal rate of population growth is evident in CHT. In 1901, the total population of CHT was 124,762 and in 2000, this population size has become 1,325,041. In each decade, the average growth of national population was approximately 18 per cent while in CHT it was 47 per cent till 1997. The population has grown here abnormally because government during the 1979-1997 periods patronized the "Bengalis" living in the plain land to be settled here. During the decades of the 80s and the 90s, the population increased at the rate of 48 per cent and 67 per cent respectively. This abnormal growth of population has upset the total demographical and ecological equilibrium in the CHT. Presently the proportion of indigenous to Bengali population has become 52:48, as opposed to 97.5: 2.5 in 1947 which has created a sever strain on the land and deforestation consequently.
Government has acquired a huge amount of land [24%] and created reserve forest. Access of the hill people is fully restricted here. Besides, government often acquires land for army camp and other administrative purposes. Recently government has planned to make an eco perk in the Chimbuk area. Creation of reserve forest and occupying the land for different purposes is upsetting the land - man ratio in CHT
Different projects like Social Aforestation, rubber tree plantation, and construction of roads and bridges are squeezing the land of the indigenous people. Apparently it seems that the roads, culverts and bridges are inevitable for the development of the indigenous people. In fact these infrastructures are serving the interest of the armies, government officials and a section of urban affluent people in CHT. The innocent indigenous people are scared of the metal roads. Many indigenous people living beside the Bandarban – Thanchi, Bandraban- Ruma, and Ali Kodom road have abandoned their villages during and after construction of these roads. Government, in the name of such development initiatives has grabbed land of the indigenous people. It is also creating pressure on land and causing deforestation in turn.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the indigenous people by nature are afraid of any dramatic changes. They can not easily match with the new interventions. They have kept themselves aloof from the market economy and still they are attached with hunting – gathering system of economy. This pulse of this society needs to understand very carefully and sincerely before initiating any new interventions. The indigenous people believe that they can live a better life if they are just kept undisturbed.
Impose of restriction on Jhum is not a solution at all. Rather, the policy makers should find out disusing with the indigenous people how Jhum can be brought back to its past sustainable position. Of course, prior to all, land acquisition by the government purchasing excessive land by the affluent sections of the indigenous people will have to be stopped. Solution should come from within the indigenous people. The imposed suggestion will make the situation only complex.
The land features of CHT have compelled the indigenous people to practice Jhum to produce necessary crops for their living. As per the reputed Forestal Report 1966, only 3% [76466 acres] land of CHT is cultivable for all purpose of agriculture. The hill people suspect that this amount of land is not available now because by this time thousands of Banglis have got settlement on the plain land. Besides, the rise of water level in Kaptai Lake has inundated a huge portion of flat land. This harsh reality is forcing the indigenous people to climb up to the rocky hill tops to practice Jhum for their livelihood.
Now a days the argument of the environmentalists, government and non- government development agencies against jhum is stronger than it was anytime in the past. These groups are blaming that the Jhum practice is causing a serious environmental degradation in CHT by creating deforestation and enhancing soil erosion. And all are suggesting to finding out some alternative option of Jhum cultivation.
Visiting frequently for last two years many remotely villages of the CHT I have seen some of the initiatives which are being tried to establish as alternatives to the “harmful” Jhum cultivation. These alternative options are the pineapple gardening, planting teak, and some other fast growing verities of trees like eucalyptus, and acacia. There are some tea estates, and policy makers presently are discussing about wider scale tea production in CHT. Government is trying also to promote large scale rubber gardening project here. Besides numbers of cigarette companies are trying desperately to motivate the innocent indigenous people in tobacco production. A remarkable part of the land which in past was used to produce vegetables and food grain has now gone under tobacco cultivation.
These alternative options are not sustainable at all. It is creating different adverse affects on the ecology of the CHT. Many indigenous people along with the government and NGOs are now planting the exotic verities of trees like teak, acacia and eucalyptus cleaning the indigenous forests without thinking its long term implications on the environment. These exotic verities [including pineapple] do not allow any kind of vegetation under its shed and consequently it causes severe soil erosion. Visiting many teak forests I have seen that the roots of the teak trees have become exposed due to the erosion. The most dangerous thing is; this exotic verity depletes water tables. Hundreds of the springs and streams have dried out meanwhile due to the water table depletion. This time I do not want go deep into this issue because last year I have made it detail in my article published in the Daily Star [18.06.04] and Bangladesh Observer
[14.05.04]. But once again I want to flag it up that if the present trend of death of the spring and streams continue few more years the CHT will face a severe water crisis.
The suggestions of the development agencies and the policy makers are contradicting with long practiced living style of the indigenous people. For example the main crop of the Jhum is rice which has the uniqueness in terms of taste and smell. The indigenous people can not think of having any other types of rice giving it up. The teak and other trees may give them money, but that money will not be able to satisfy them said the villagers of the Kodompru para under Roangchhari upazilla in Banderban. CHT at present has the deficiency in food grain. This deficiency will be accelerating in future if Jhum cultivation comes under restriction
Captain Lewin in his famous book has written that the Jhum has an implication on the health of the Jhum cultivators. He mentioned that the people who leave the village during the Jhum cultivation remain healthier than the people who remain static in the village round the year.
The indigenous people disagree that that Jhum practice is causing any soil erosion. They argue that as they never displace any roots of the plants, and do not plough the slops, the soil texture remains unbroken. The first splash of the rain just washes away some ashes which were produced by burning the bushes for cleaning the hill slopes. These ashes however increase the fertility of the soil. Immediately after the first shower of rain the seeds are sown just poking the hill with a sharp piece of bamboo or the dao [a piece big sharp of blood fixed with the wooden handle]. The weeds and crops covers the hill slops very fast and it checks the soil erosion. By the September the Jhum field recovers its previous greenery with grass and foliage
However, there is no scope to deny completely that soil is not eroding at all due to the Jhum, as the Jhumias are claiming. There definitely will have a natural rate of soil erosion. It is happening even in the plain land. The erosion of the plain land however has a chance to be recovered through the flood, which is lacking the hill slops. But it is true at the same time that the Jhum was sustainable form of agriculture in past when the interval between two Jhums was at least 15 years. Presently, the population pressure and shrunk of the cultivable land have minimized the interval to 3 years only. Therefore, it is not the Jhum, but excessive pressures on the land are the main reason that upsetting the total ecological equilibrium of the CHT.
Taking different initiatives government wants to prove that the Jhumias are the enemy of the environment but government is trying to protect it sincerely. But, if the activities of the government are analyzed critically it can be understood easily that it is the government’s policies in different eras, not the Jhumias have done all the harms of the CHT ecology and its people consequently. Some instances I want to produce here
The British government had taken the initiative to stop Jhum cultivation at first. The welfare of the hill people was not the concern of the initiatives. British government wanted to make the moving indigenous people settled in a fixed village so that they can easily and regularly collect the tax.
The Pakistan government with the financial aid from USAID has built the Kaptai Hydro Electricity Project that inundated 54000 acres of the best cultivable land and displaced thousands of indigenous people from their settlement. It has created an unusual pressure on land in CHT. The interval in the Jhum cycle has fallen drastically after starting of this project.
An abnormal rate of population growth is evident in CHT. In 1901, the total population of CHT was 124,762 and in 2000, this population size has become 1,325,041. In each decade, the average growth of national population was approximately 18 per cent while in CHT it was 47 per cent till 1997. The population has grown here abnormally because government during the 1979-1997 periods patronized the "Bengalis" living in the plain land to be settled here. During the decades of the 80s and the 90s, the population increased at the rate of 48 per cent and 67 per cent respectively. This abnormal growth of population has upset the total demographical and ecological equilibrium in the CHT. Presently the proportion of indigenous to Bengali population has become 52:48, as opposed to 97.5: 2.5 in 1947 which has created a sever strain on the land and deforestation consequently.
Government has acquired a huge amount of land [24%] and created reserve forest. Access of the hill people is fully restricted here. Besides, government often acquires land for army camp and other administrative purposes. Recently government has planned to make an eco perk in the Chimbuk area. Creation of reserve forest and occupying the land for different purposes is upsetting the land - man ratio in CHT
Different projects like Social Aforestation, rubber tree plantation, and construction of roads and bridges are squeezing the land of the indigenous people. Apparently it seems that the roads, culverts and bridges are inevitable for the development of the indigenous people. In fact these infrastructures are serving the interest of the armies, government officials and a section of urban affluent people in CHT. The innocent indigenous people are scared of the metal roads. Many indigenous people living beside the Bandarban – Thanchi, Bandraban- Ruma, and Ali Kodom road have abandoned their villages during and after construction of these roads. Government, in the name of such development initiatives has grabbed land of the indigenous people. It is also creating pressure on land and causing deforestation in turn.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the indigenous people by nature are afraid of any dramatic changes. They can not easily match with the new interventions. They have kept themselves aloof from the market economy and still they are attached with hunting – gathering system of economy. This pulse of this society needs to understand very carefully and sincerely before initiating any new interventions. The indigenous people believe that they can live a better life if they are just kept undisturbed.
Impose of restriction on Jhum is not a solution at all. Rather, the policy makers should find out disusing with the indigenous people how Jhum can be brought back to its past sustainable position. Of course, prior to all, land acquisition by the government purchasing excessive land by the affluent sections of the indigenous people will have to be stopped. Solution should come from within the indigenous people. The imposed suggestion will make the situation only complex.
Author: Md. Firoj Alam. Published: Bangladesh Observer, July 1, 2005
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