Dhaka – UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said in a statement on Friday that
bearly 100,000 Rohingya Muslims living in congested refugee camps in Bangladesh could be in “grave danger’’ from landslides and flooding during the upcoming monsoon season.
The agency noted in a statement that adverse weather conditions including cyclones typically hits the South Asian country from April until June and could put tens of thousands of refugees at serious risk.
UNHCR stated that more than 85,000 refugees could lose their shelters due to flooding, while 23,000 others living on steep slopes of hills could be at risk of landslides, the agency said after assessing the potential impact of the upcoming monsoon season.
An estimated 688,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into Bangladesh fleeing last year’s military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
They have been living in makeshift shelters made of bamboo shafts and polyethylene sheets in Bangladesh’s south-eastern district of Cox’s Bazar, where aid agencies provide food supplies, healthcare and basic services.
The UN says key services in the settlement including latrines, washrooms, tube wells, and health centres, are also at risk of being washed away during the rainy season.
The government and humanitarian agencies have set up an emergency preparedness group to co-ordinate efforts to address the upcoming challenges, the UNHCR said.
Early warning systems are also being put in place, with public information campaigns also underway to alert the refugee population of the risks they could face, it added. (dpa/NAN)