COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Aug 9 (NNN-BSS) – The International Rescue Committee (IRC), yesterday said, it has relocated over 15,000 Rohingya refugees and 300,000 members of the local communities in flash flood-hit Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh.
At least four people, including two Rohingya refugees, are reported to have died in the floods, IRC said in a statement.
The fragile infrastructure of the refugee camps, some 400 km south-east of the country’s capital, Dhaka, has been severely damaged, with over 2,000 shelters destroyed, including, facilities such as health centres and community centres that are vital to the wellbeing of the refugees.
In response to the disaster, the IRC said, it has deployed mobile response teams to affected areas in Cox’s Bazar, which are ready to deliver emergency health and protection services to refugee and local communities.
Meanwhile, the teams are carrying out a needs assessment to understand the full extent of the damage in the host communities surrounding the refugee camp.
Hasina Rahman, IRC Bangladesh Director, said, the present situation underscores the urgent need for long-term solutions to address the vulnerability of Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, which includes comprehensive disaster preparedness, infrastructure improvements, and sustainable measures to safeguard the lives and dignity of these displaced communities.
Those who are most vulnerable in society – people with disabilities, women, children, and the elderly – should be given special attention in the humanitarian assistance to the affected areas, said the director.– NNN-BSS
