Floods, landslides hit Rohingya camps hard: UNHCR

More than 12,000 Rohingya refugees have been affected, while an estimated 2,500 shelters have been damaged or destroyed by heavy downpours, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has said.

In the last 24 hours alone, over 300mm rain fell on camps hosting more than 8 lakh Rohingya refugees -- nearly half the monthly average rainfall for July, UNHCR said in a statement yesterday.

Three days of heavy monsoon rains and strong winds pelted massive refugee sites in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar Tuesday, causing flash floods and landslides; the situation is further compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, it said.

More rains are expected in the next few days, with the monsoon season stretching over the next three months, the UN agency added.

There is currently a strict national lockdown in response to rising cases across the country.

In support of the government-led response, the UNHCR's network of emergency response teams have been deployed, to provide immediate support and assistance to affected families and to those forced to temporarily relocate.

Teams are also assessing the damage to shelters and initiating immediate repairs and site improvements.

Refugee volunteers trained by the UNHCR, and partners are also working day and night in heavy rain to help families in urgent need. In some cases, this has involved rescuing refugees from shelters destroyed by landslides.

So far, more than 5,000 refugees have temporarily relocated to other family members' shelters or community facilities.

The adverse weather, latest landslides and floods further exacerbate the suffering and massive humanitarian needs of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

To date, the 2021 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh has received only $274 million, roughly 30% of the $943 million required for the response this year.