Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
As the new arrivals of Rogingya refugees crossed over half a million in Cox’s Bazar, the authorities and aid agencies are struggling to provide them basic necessities, including food, shelter, clean water and medical care.
Dozens of international aid agencies have already launched aid operation along with the local administration to provide humanitarian assistance to the refugees who took shelters at the existing and new camps in Cox’s Bazar, a bordering district of Bangladesh.
The camps are: Kutupalong, Balukhali, Burmapara, Meinnerghona, Jamtoli, Hakimpara, Unchiprang, Shamlapur, Leda and Noyapara.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) confirmed on Thursday that 501,800 new arrivals have been reported in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh since August 25.
The speed and scale of the exodus of Rohingya into Bangladesh has created a “critical humanitarian emergency”, according to an IOM press statement issued yesterday.
The IOM, the UN Migration Agency and partner aid agencies are struggling to provide clean water and sanitation for an estimated half a million people who have fled Myanmar’s North Rakhine State in the past month and arrived in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh”.
“Tens of thousands of the new arrivals are still living in the open with little or no shelter, food or access to healthcare. Daily rain has flooded campsites and left pools of water, many of them contaminated with fecal matter. For many of the refugees, they are the only accessible water source, but pose a lethal threat of waterborne diseases like cholera,” it said.
“We’re facing immense challenge to bring all the Rogingya refugees under the cover of humanitarian assistance. We have to launch a massive aid effort to ensure shelter, food and medical care for the refugees,” an aid worker of an international agency, told The New Nation on Friday.
Terming the exodus “unprecedented”, he said,
“We need huge resource and manpower to deal with the situation. But, in reality, we are running aid operations having constrain to these areas”.
He further said the road access continues to be a constraint upon the delivery of humanitarian aid. Basic services are under severe strain due to the massive increase in Rohingya people in Cox’s Bazar.
“We need to prepare for many more to come, as the influx is yet to be stopped. That means we have to step up our response further with limited resource and funding,” he added.
The aid worker, who is not authorized to talk with media, said that Bangladesh should intensify its diplomatic efforts to force the Myanmar authorities to urgently stop the persecution against Rogingyas to stop the influx of Rohingyas. “Otherwise, Bangladesh has to face a dire situation.”
“The exodus has already crossed over half million and the number is growing day by day causing an enormous humanitarian crisis which the UN chief described as the world’s fastest developing refugee emergency,” another aid worker told The New Nation yesterday.
“A massive aid effort is needed to respond to the crisis. But it appears to be a ‘Herculean task’ for Bangladesh authorities and international aid agencies because of harsh weather condition, inadequate funds and resources,” he added.
As the new arrivals of Rogingya refugees crossed over half a million in Cox’s Bazar, the authorities and aid agencies are struggling to provide them basic necessities, including food, shelter, clean water and medical care.
Dozens of international aid agencies have already launched aid operation along with the local administration to provide humanitarian assistance to the refugees who took shelters at the existing and new camps in Cox’s Bazar, a bordering district of Bangladesh.
The camps are: Kutupalong, Balukhali, Burmapara, Meinnerghona, Jamtoli, Hakimpara, Unchiprang, Shamlapur, Leda and Noyapara.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) confirmed on Thursday that 501,800 new arrivals have been reported in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh since August 25.
The speed and scale of the exodus of Rohingya into Bangladesh has created a “critical humanitarian emergency”, according to an IOM press statement issued yesterday.
The IOM, the UN Migration Agency and partner aid agencies are struggling to provide clean water and sanitation for an estimated half a million people who have fled Myanmar’s North Rakhine State in the past month and arrived in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh”.
“Tens of thousands of the new arrivals are still living in the open with little or no shelter, food or access to healthcare. Daily rain has flooded campsites and left pools of water, many of them contaminated with fecal matter. For many of the refugees, they are the only accessible water source, but pose a lethal threat of waterborne diseases like cholera,” it said.
“We’re facing immense challenge to bring all the Rogingya refugees under the cover of humanitarian assistance. We have to launch a massive aid effort to ensure shelter, food and medical care for the refugees,” an aid worker of an international agency, told The New Nation on Friday.
Terming the exodus “unprecedented”, he said,
“We need huge resource and manpower to deal with the situation. But, in reality, we are running aid operations having constrain to these areas”.
He further said the road access continues to be a constraint upon the delivery of humanitarian aid. Basic services are under severe strain due to the massive increase in Rohingya people in Cox’s Bazar.
“We need to prepare for many more to come, as the influx is yet to be stopped. That means we have to step up our response further with limited resource and funding,” he added.
The aid worker, who is not authorized to talk with media, said that Bangladesh should intensify its diplomatic efforts to force the Myanmar authorities to urgently stop the persecution against Rogingyas to stop the influx of Rohingyas. “Otherwise, Bangladesh has to face a dire situation.”
“The exodus has already crossed over half million and the number is growing day by day causing an enormous humanitarian crisis which the UN chief described as the world’s fastest developing refugee emergency,” another aid worker told The New Nation yesterday.
“A massive aid effort is needed to respond to the crisis. But it appears to be a ‘Herculean task’ for Bangladesh authorities and international aid agencies because of harsh weather condition, inadequate funds and resources,” he added.
