Assist Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

This report has been adapted from an first-hand account of this summer's rainy season in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and Concern’s response by Alimul Islam, Project Manager for Emergency Response, Bangladesh

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The 2021 monsoon rains have caused chaos this week for the 900,000 Rohingya refugees living in the hilly, muddy camps at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Day after day, the rains have continued, and we’ve witnessed drains become streams become raging torrents.

And then last week, these rains sparked powerful floods, which have washed away people’s homes, food and livelihoods, and landslides, which have killed 20 people (including six children). For the Rohingya who fled conflict in the Rakhine State in 2017 and in just the last year have experienced raging camp fires and the COVID-19 pandemic, this is just the latest challenge.

Floods in this country are nothing new: 75% of Bangladesh sits below sea level. Last year’s floods submerged more than 25% of the country. But in the last two weeks, the rains have been even heavier than usual. For the last four years, I’ve worked in Cox’s Bazar with Concern and I’ve not seen anything like this before — it’s by far the worst.

We are now in an emergency situation. The refugee camp is built on hills, and due to this terrain flash floods have caused landslides. In one camp where Concern works, we lost five people in just one family. The flood waters have been very high: Around some people’s homes in the lowlands, it has reached four or five feet over their homes.

While the floodwaters recede reasonably quickly in some areas because of the closeness to the river and sea, the damage has been done. Family shelters and belongings have been destroyed by the water. They’ve lost cooking utensils, blankets, clothing, and dry food that they’ve been storing (including rice, pulses, and lentils). In some areas, the water doesn’t recede as quickly. Here, landslides have caused water-logging, as the fallen soil from the hills creates a dam. Worryingly, fresh water points and toilets were also damaged by the floods. There’s now a real risk of water-borne diseases.

As part of Concern’s work with people in the Rohingya camps and host communities, we provide support in the form of home gardens. It’s heartbreaking to see 70% of these gardens damaged in the wake of rains, floods, and water logging, especially in the harvest season as many have lost crops that they had yet to pick.

Concern is responding to the flooding by providing emergency dry food items such as rice cakes, sugar, biscuits, bread, honey, and bottled water. We’re also providing people with hygiene and health kits, and non-food items as requested by local authorities in response to the floods.

Most were not able to rebuild their shelters following the massive fire earlier this year in time to prepare for the rainy season, so they’ve had no protection against these floods, and are almost entirely dependent on organizations like Concern for basic necessities.

There’s a further complication in all of this with the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh. As of this writing, we are in the middle of a two-week, nationwide lockdown mandated by the government. On Monday, July 26, Bangladesh registered the highest number of new coronavirus cases and deaths within a single day.These lockdowns have also affected people in the local host community, who haven’t been able to work. Cox’s Bazar is a tourist area, and many of its inhabitants depend on tourism for their livelihoods. Those who didn’t lose their livelihoods to COVID-19 have lost them with lost livestock, poultry, and fish — or in their rice fields, which have been flooded during cultivation season.

We know the rains come each year, but this year has been like no other. Having overcome so much in the last several years, the Rohingya are beginning to rebuild once again, supported by organizations like Concern. We need to work together to make sure people are able to prepare in time for increasingly severe rains, support them in doing so, and help them recover when the unexpected happens.

On March 22nd – just one month following the last report on Concern Worldwide’s work with Rohingya refugees that you’ve helped make possible – fire broke out in Balukhali camp. The fire quickly spread through the makeshift shelters and tents spread across the hilly terrain of Cox’s Bazar, currently home to nearly one million refugees.

The flames consumed almost everything, including personal belongings and essential facilities such as hospitals, primary health facilities, learning centers, and women friendly spaces. Teams on the ground reported that the scale and intensity of the fire was unlike anything seen before in the camps.

While fire services, civil defense, emergency response teams, and aid agencies rushed to the area, their efforts were hindered by the presence of perimeter fencing. In some instances, refugees had to cut through the fence themselves to escape the fire. Limited mobile phone connectivity in the camps also hampered the ability of refugees to call for immediate assistance and contact their families.

At least 15 people died in the fire and hundreds were left unaccounted for in the aftermath.

Concern Worldwide’s Emergency Director, Heather Macey, described the scene as one of utter devastation. “Where yesterday there were bamboo shelters covering the hillside, today it was unrecognizable. In the 4 worst affected camps more than 10,000 homes are destroyed.”

Heather recounted meeting Hasina, a grandmother who was sheltering with 3 elderly relatives, her daughter, new-born granddaughter, and 3 other grandchildren; together, they were left with only a pot and a blanket that they were using for shade. “The children were covered in soot and hungry. They were confused what to do and what was going to happen.”

Heather says the Rohingya families here have endured so much trauma. “Many people experienced their villages burnt to the ground in Myanmar in the offensive that resulted in the influx across the border to Bangladesh in 2017.”

The Response 

The Government of Bangladesh began coordinating response efforts on the ground with support from NGOs and the UN. Concern and our national partner, Social Assistance and Rehabilitation for the Physically Vulnerable (SARPV), provided food, water, and a safe place to rest at the local nutrition site. We then began a major effort to help the affected families rebuild their homes and replace their lost belongings. Aid agencies continue to monitor the safety conditions of refugees, as they remain vulnerable to incidents of theft, harassment, and exploitation. Another priority for authorities and humanitarian actors has been replacing personal identity documentation lost in the fire.

This spring, Concern has been working on restoring toilets and waterpoints and reuniting families. Monsoon season came quickly on the heels of the fire, making solid reconstruction all the more necessary and difficult. Our generous community of supporters has made our ongoing support of Rohingya refugees possible as they strive to move on from this most recent trauma. Thank you.