COX'S BAZAR, Feb 27 (UNB): UN's migration agency IOM said on Tuesday they are upgrading shelters to mitigate disasters when the monsoon and cyclone season hit the world's biggest refugee settlement in the coming weeks.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is providing search and rescue training; setting up emergency medical centres and establishing bases for work crews and light machinery.
As Bangladesh's annual wet season approaches, IOM is also working to secure infrastructure and boost resilience among Rohingyas and the local community, said the UN agency.
This includes the creation of disaster risk reduction safety committees to warn the refugees of what to expect and how to prepare for the wind and rain that are expected to bring deadly floods and landslides to the Cox's Bazar camps.
Around 0.7 million Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar over the past six months.
Most of them now live in tarpaulin shelters on bare, unstable slopes-ground which will quickly turn into mud when the rains arrive.
Studies prepared by IOM and its partners indicate that at least 0.1 million refugees and vulnerable families in the local community face life-threatening risks from landslides and floods.
On March 1, IOM will take part in a one-day emergency simulation to help develop rapid and coordinated responses to emergency situations.
Other participants will include members of the independent, multi-agency Inter Sector Coordination Group (ICSG), UNHCR, government authorities and local agencies.
"With emergency situations inevitable when the rains hit, it's crucial we work together now to limit disaster as much as possible before it occurs. We need to be able to respond swiftly and effectively during crisis events," said Manuel Marques Pereira, IOM Emergency Coordinator in Cox's Bazar.
"It's also vitally important to support members of the refugee and local communities with training and information in advance, so they're ready to respond and protect themselves and others when the worst conditions arrive," he added.
Work to improve roads and drainage, stabilise slopes, protect against further erosion, and upgrade 120,000 shelters before the rains arrive is already underway.
