Food insecurity hits half of Cox's Bazar urbanites

Almost half the urban population in Cox's Bazar town has become vulnerable and struggled to access food during the COVID-19 pandemic due to significant downturns in livelihoods and income.

An evaluation styled 'Cox's Bazar Urban Vulnerability Assessment' of the World Food Programme (WFP) under the United Nations has found this.

According to the WFP, 40 per cent of those surveyed have had no income since March and 48 per cent have struggled to buy enough food.

As a result, they have been heavily relying on external assistance, including from the government and donors.

"Covid-19 is more than a health crisis, it's also a socio-economic crisis for millions of people around the world," said WFP senior emergency coordinator Sheila Grudem in Cox's Bazar.

"Here in Bangladesh," he said, "urban populations and those who rely on tourism or the informal wage sector to make a living are the hardest hit."

Daily wage workers have experienced a more than 70-per cent drop in income while those self-employed have seen a 44-per cent drop.

Business owners and traders have seen income levels drop to two thirds of usual earnings during lockdown.

In April, the WFP launched a programme in Cox's Bazar, targeting vulnerable members of the host community through food and cash assistance, complementing the existing distributions made by the government.

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