Fund shortage hits Rohingya relocation as monsoon looms

Preparations for relocating hundreds of Cox's Bazar Rohingya refugees to safer places ahead of monsoon are yet to be completed.

The situation has turned complicated due to the poor inflow of funds required for the humanitarian response.

Until last week, only 21 per cent of the US$ 951 million, required for the humanitarian response to the nearly one million refugees sheltered here, was received.

Urgent funding is needed for agencies to plan interventions, allocate resources and provide timely assistance, says a report on Sunday.

The report was released by the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), a platform of international and local agencies engaged in humanitarian response for the Rohingya.

The ISCG said 1,500 additional acres of flat, usable and accessible land are needed to enable relocation of the at-risk refugees.

Humanitarian agencies fear that if sufficient and suitable space cannot be arranged immediately, a good number of the refugees would have to bear the brunt of the monsoon onslaught.

According to the ISCG estimate, 0.2 million individuals are at risk of landslide and flooding during the monsoon.

Of them 25,000 are exposed to very high risks.

The entire refugee population in camps (724,837 refugees in Ukhia and 182,816 in Teknaf) lack access to structures that are safe during high winds or cyclones.

The monsoon season is underway and emergency preparedness remains the priority.

The window for risk mitigation is all but closed, it said.

Last week, 1,298 people at risk of landslide or flooding were relocated to safer areas, a report of the ISCG said on Sunday.

"Earthworks have stopped on the 500 additional acres of land, allocated in March by the Government of Bangladesh for relocating people at risk of landslide and floods," said the ISCG.

"Risk mitigation has been limited by the lack of safe shelters for refugees in camps and the lack of evacuation spaces," it added.

"Discussions continue with the RRRC to identify suitable evacuation sites," the report mentioned.

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