More funding needed to mitigate woes of the Rohingya refugees
“Since Saturday, there has been severe rain and stormy weather, causing landslides”
Funding is urgently needed to appropriately respond to the sufferings of the Rohingya refugees, situated in Cox's Bazar's camps, caused by natural disasters.
Nicole Epting, senior coordinator of the The Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), said this on Wednesday, adding that only 38% of the response fund has been met, forcing to compromise essential services for both the Rohingya and host community.
The ISCG –a joint platform of a number of UN bodies and some other NGOs working in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar – on Wednesday noted the overall situation of the camps, and their approaches to addressing the problems there, in a joint press statement.
"Since Saturday, there has been severe rain and stormy weather, causing landslides, battering lives of both the host community and Rohingya refugees," the press statement reads.
Marin Din Kajdomcaj, UNHCR head of Office at Cox's Bazar, said they were closely working with partners and the government authorities to help affected families.
"We have trained some 3,000 refugees so that they can respond to emergencies and reduce the risks faced by the community during disasters," he said.
According to the press statement, in Rohingya camps and adjacent arears, there were 15 landslides, and five flooding incidents in the past 48 hours until Wednesday morning, causing temporary displacement of 14,801 individuals from 4,543 households, partial damage to 427 shelters and complete destruction of 66 shelters.
An estimated 16,190 individuals from 4,842 households have been affected by the floods.
In the district's Teknaf area, two Bangladeshi children have reportedly been killed, and 10 people injured, in a landslide, the press release adds.
"The rain and winds are endangering lives and causing hardship on the ground. We are working to mitigate the sufferings," said International Organization for Migration (IOM) Bangladesh Deputy Chief of Mission Manuel Pereira.
"While we are responding to the immediate effects of the rains, we are focusing on long-term disaster management and risk mitigation as well," he added.
On Tuesday, approximately 4,000 households were displaced due to rainfall in Camp-26 alone, in the Teknaf area, which was the worst affected zone, according to the press statement.
In the past couple of days, humanitarian agencies distributed shelter kits, hot meals, and biscuits to families impacted by the storms.