Govt mulls water supply project for Rohingya

The government is going to undertake a project for safe water supply and sanitation facilities to improve the health and living standards of the Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar, who were forcibly displaced from Myanmar, reports BSS.

"The Planning Commission has already received a draft project proposal to this end from the Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) under the Local Government Division," said a senior official of Planning Commission.

The official told the news agency that the project titled 'Emergency assistance project on ensuring safe water and sanitation operations at Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas in Cox's Bazar' will be implemented at an estimated cost of Taka 6.29 billion (629.11 crore) by June 2021.

Out of the total project cost, Taka 2.68 billion will be provided by the government of Bangladesh (GoB) while Taka 3.60 billion will come as grants from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The Planning Commission official said the project objectives include ensuring safe water and sanitation facilities to the forcibly displaced Rohingyas living in some 32 camps at Ukhia and Teknaf including in Kutupalong and Balukhali , introducing piped water supply system at the proposed communities, improving sanitation system including human waste management, resisting social degradation at the proposed Rohingya communities and ensuring equal rights of males and females in getting access to safe water and sanitation.

Talking to the news agency, a Local Government Division official said more than 700 thousand forcibly displaced Rohingya entered Bangladesh since August last year (2017) in addition to already existing three lakh Rohingyas.