Staff Reporter :
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday approved a grant of US$100 million to Bangladesh to develop basic infrastructure and services for displaced Rohingya people sheltered in Cox’s Bazar camps.
The grant will be the first half of US$200 million assistance package that the Manila-based lender pledged earlier.
About 700,000 Rohingya people have crossed the border from Myanmar’s Rakhine state into Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh since late August 2017, making it the worlds largest and fastest growing refugee camp.
This has caused a huge strain on the local infrastructure, economy as well as a major humanitarian concern. The displaced persons are living in 32 camps spreading over the district. Providing food, shelter, health, sanitation, water and other essential services in the camps while fending off disease is a daily challenge. If unaddressed, conditions are feared to worsen dramatically.
“Given the scale of the humanitarian needs, we are coordinating closely and promptly with World Bank and other development partners to support the Bangladesh Government in addressing the crisis in Cox’s Bazar,” said ADB President Takehiko Nakao.
In this context, he said, ADB’s project in this first phase will seek to provide basic infrastructure and services that will ease vulnerabilities and risk of hunger, disease, and disaster.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith had approached Takehiko Nakao for the grant assistance when they met in early May. ADB developed and processed the project at an extraordinary speed under its emergency procedure, according to an ADB news release.
It said the ADB’s $100 million grant will support the displaced people sheltered in camps in Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas of Cox’s Bazar focusing on water supply and sanitation, disaster risk management, energy and roads under a project.
The project will rehabilitate roads within the camps to connect essential food distribution and storage centers, hospitals, education facilities, and provide emergency access.
It will also resurface the road from Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf and other critical sections. To address water needs, the project will provide mobile water carriers, community-bathing facilities, and build a piped water supply system and waste management facilities, together with small water treatment plants. Solar powered and mini grid-connected street lighting will be provided and access to electricity augmented by substations, distribution lines and transformers.
The southeastern part of Bangladesh is highly susceptible to various types of natural hazards, as well as cyclone and monsoon seasons, which include flooding, landslides, lightning, fires, and heat waves. Given these potential challenges, the project will strengthen disaster risk management by constructing cyclone shelters with emergency access roads, as well as food distribution centers, walls to protect against landslides, and a storm water drainage network.
ADB support will be within the framework of multi-sector Joint Response Plan prepared by the UN-led Inter Sector Coordination Group in coordination with the government. The project has been developed and will be implemented in coordination with United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and other donors that are giving humanitarian relief such as food, water, medical aid, and temporary shelter.
The first phase is costing $120 million over about 2.5 years. The first ADB $100 million grant will come from the Asian Development Fund (ADF), while the government will provide $20 million.
The World Bank said on Thursday last said that it would provide up to US$480 million grant to Bangladesh to address the needs of Rohingya refugees, including health, education, water, sanitation and social protection.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday approved a grant of US$100 million to Bangladesh to develop basic infrastructure and services for displaced Rohingya people sheltered in Cox’s Bazar camps.
The grant will be the first half of US$200 million assistance package that the Manila-based lender pledged earlier.
About 700,000 Rohingya people have crossed the border from Myanmar’s Rakhine state into Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh since late August 2017, making it the worlds largest and fastest growing refugee camp.
This has caused a huge strain on the local infrastructure, economy as well as a major humanitarian concern. The displaced persons are living in 32 camps spreading over the district. Providing food, shelter, health, sanitation, water and other essential services in the camps while fending off disease is a daily challenge. If unaddressed, conditions are feared to worsen dramatically.
“Given the scale of the humanitarian needs, we are coordinating closely and promptly with World Bank and other development partners to support the Bangladesh Government in addressing the crisis in Cox’s Bazar,” said ADB President Takehiko Nakao.
In this context, he said, ADB’s project in this first phase will seek to provide basic infrastructure and services that will ease vulnerabilities and risk of hunger, disease, and disaster.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith had approached Takehiko Nakao for the grant assistance when they met in early May. ADB developed and processed the project at an extraordinary speed under its emergency procedure, according to an ADB news release.
It said the ADB’s $100 million grant will support the displaced people sheltered in camps in Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas of Cox’s Bazar focusing on water supply and sanitation, disaster risk management, energy and roads under a project.
The project will rehabilitate roads within the camps to connect essential food distribution and storage centers, hospitals, education facilities, and provide emergency access.
It will also resurface the road from Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf and other critical sections. To address water needs, the project will provide mobile water carriers, community-bathing facilities, and build a piped water supply system and waste management facilities, together with small water treatment plants. Solar powered and mini grid-connected street lighting will be provided and access to electricity augmented by substations, distribution lines and transformers.
The southeastern part of Bangladesh is highly susceptible to various types of natural hazards, as well as cyclone and monsoon seasons, which include flooding, landslides, lightning, fires, and heat waves. Given these potential challenges, the project will strengthen disaster risk management by constructing cyclone shelters with emergency access roads, as well as food distribution centers, walls to protect against landslides, and a storm water drainage network.
ADB support will be within the framework of multi-sector Joint Response Plan prepared by the UN-led Inter Sector Coordination Group in coordination with the government. The project has been developed and will be implemented in coordination with United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and other donors that are giving humanitarian relief such as food, water, medical aid, and temporary shelter.
The first phase is costing $120 million over about 2.5 years. The first ADB $100 million grant will come from the Asian Development Fund (ADF), while the government will provide $20 million.
The World Bank said on Thursday last said that it would provide up to US$480 million grant to Bangladesh to address the needs of Rohingya refugees, including health, education, water, sanitation and social protection.
