A STUDY has revealed that 4,300 acres of hills and forests have been razed in Cox’s Bazar to set up refugee camps and cooking fuel for Rohingyas who fled ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. Quoting the study, news media reported that about 3,000-4,000 acres of hill land at Teknaf and Ukhia have been cleared of vegetation. Since the beginning of Rohingya influx in August 2017, 1502 hectares of forest land has been used for their makeshift settlements and 793 hectares of natural forest land has already encroached. When devastating pollution and related health risk take off 2.34 lakh lives each year, and willful destruction scheme of Sundarbans is underway, deforestation can only accelerate our self-destructing, which can be limited if, only, repatriation of Rohingyas completed.
The UNDP and UN jointly conducted the study that found 14,000-hectare forests were degraded within 5km around the camps within 4-5 months and 26,000-hectare deep forests became forests of shrubs in 10km around the camps within 12 months of the influx. The refugees need 6,800 tonnes of firewood a month collected from forests and each family uses on an average 60 stalks of bamboo to build their temporary shelters.
A rapid depletion in groundwater level for excessive extraction in camp areas and deforestation caused by a collection of firewood from forests are also worrisome. It is unbelievable that about 1.14 million Rohingyas are living in two upazilas of Southern beach district. Due to indiscriminate hill cutting for shelters of Rohingyas, the terrain on hills has lost its natural setting, causing a potential risk of landslide. Even if the Rohingya crisis is over, its consequences on the environment and ecology would linger.
The lush, green, hilly landscape inhibited by wild elephants has rapidly turned into a town of tents. The world must expedite return of Rohingya refugees otherwise Bangladesh is facing grave ecological crisis with international consequences.
