Bangladesh Operation Overview, 7 December 2017

Background

WFP is co-chairing, together with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), the Logistics Sector in Bangladesh. WFP, as lead agency of the Logistics Cluster, is also coordinating the Logistics Sector in Cox’s Bazar to support the logistics needs of the entire humanitarian community.
Basic services that were available in country prior to the influx Undocumented Myanmar Nationals (UMNs) from Myanmar in late August, are under severe strain due to the massive increase in people in the area; the major logistics constraint faced by the humanitarian community is the lack of available storage facilities, which is exhacerbated by a lack of suitable land to allow for Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) to be assembled.

The Logistics Sector in Bangladesh is supporting the Government-led response coordination of the humanitarian logistics response to ensure access to critical logistics services and to support an uninterrupted supply chain and effective response.

Highlights

• The Logistics Sector has established a common Logistics Hub at the Ukhiya Degree College; Sixteen MSUs have been erected for humanitarian cargo storage. Seven of the MSUs are available for humanitarian responders, seven are allocated to the Government of Bangladesh, while two are used by the WFP for General Food Distribution stocks.

• One 40’’ refrigerated container, donated by Agility with in framework of the LET partnership, will be positioned at the Ukhiya Logistics Hub, and will provide temperature controlled storage of goods between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius.

• The Relief Item Tracking Application (RITA) is being used to track Service and Release requests for storage in the Logistics Hub. Based on evolving requirements, the storage period has been increased to 30 days.
  Storage at the Logistics Hub is available through the submission of a Service Request Form (SRF).

• As of 7 December, 2017 the Logistics Sector has facilitated the access to storage facilities in Ukhiya Logistics Hub to eight partners and has handled a total of 4,635m3 of cargo for eleven organisations.

• A needs assessment indicated the requirement for storage space in southern Cox’s Bazar. A Call for Proposals for the establishment and management of a new Logistics Hub has been sent out and proposals expected by 10 December.

• Planning for the upcoming rainy season as well as cyclone preparedness have started. Twenty 20’’ containers will be positioned in the Ukhiya Logistics Hub for weather proof storage options. Eight of the containers have arrived at the Chittagong port and are awaiting transport to the Hub in Ukhiya.