Rohingyas in refugee camps have become more vulnerable to natural disasters with the onset of the monsoon season.
The absence of a proper communication system hampers their movement while there is a grave danger of landslides for those who built houses on top of the hills and at the bottom.
Cyclones are emerging as the biggest threat to the houses built with flimsy materials in the new camps. Cox’s Bazar is prone to cyclones which will cause severe damage to the camps, disaster preparedness experts believe.
At least 200,000 people should be shifted out of the camps—away from cyclones and rains, said António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations while visiting those camps.
At least 700,000 Rohingyas have sought refuge in Bangladesh fleeing their homes in Rakhine state in the last 10 months after the Myanmar authority began a crackdown on them in August 2017.
Bangladesh that has been already providing shelter to 400,000 Rohingyas opened its border and provided shelter for them.
Rohingyas have been sheltered in 30 camps, mostly concentrated in Kutupalong and Balukhali.
Those Rohingyas who arrived recently found refuge in Balukhali. They are building houses everywhere—on top of the hills and at the bottom. Makeshift houses and tents dot the area.
Soil has been dug out from the hills to make room for Rohingya shelters.
Some incidents of landslides have already been reported with one person dying as a house caved in.
