Attachments
Situation Overview
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Monsoon rains continued in Cox’s Bazar causing 44 incidents, including landslides, winds, floods, and waterlogging, between 27 July and 2 August, leading to the damage of 61 shelters.
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UNHCR deployed a Multi-Functional Team (MFT) comprising 16 staff members to affected areas since 25 July. The team works with Camp-in-Charges (CiCs - camp administrators appointed by the Government of Bangladesh), partner agencies, and Rohingya refugee volunteers to conduct rapid damage assessments, mobilise response capacity on the ground, and assist relocation to safer sites for refugees whose shelters were affected by the rains and/or live in areas at high-risk of landslides.
UNHCR and Partners’ Response
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The Site Management Engineering Project (SMEP) team — a joint engineering project by UNHCR, IOM, and WFP—was deployed during heavy rains on 25 July to repair sections of Army Road at risk of being washed away. As a result, the arterial road linking the north and south of Kutupalong-Balukhali refugee settlement remained accessible for aid distribution and emergency response in the following days. Apart from road repairs, the SMEP team also cleared drainage and landslide areas, and stabilised slopes in several camps.
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A total of 142 Rohingya families (596 individuals) from high-risk landslide areas in seven areas were relocated to Camp 4 Extension (west of Kutupalong settlement) between 27 July and 2 August. This permanent relocation is part of the expedited risk mitigation measures being done due to heavy rains in the past weeks. Protection staff from MFT and refugee volunteers continue to counsel the refugees prior to their relocation.
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UNHCR and partners (NGO Forum, BRAC, and Oxfam) worked together with refugee volunteers to conduct rapid assessments on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and to quickly repair damaged facilities, including 218 latrines, 53 bathing cubicles, 35 tube wells and hand pumps, and 16 handwashing stations from 23 to 28 July. The partners and refugee volunteers were also trained by UNHCR on emergency preparedness and response throughout May and June 2018.
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The MFT distributed 145 Post-Disaster Kits (PDK), which include a sleeping mat, tarpaulin, and aquatabs (water purification tablets), to refugee households affected by monsoon rains between 26 July and 1 August. PDKs are stored in 98 of 116 containers pre-positioned in six locations near the settlements in both Teknaf and Ukhiya sub-districts, with the remaining containers used for storage of tents and other purposes.
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The inter-agency Protection Emergency Response Unit (PERU) teams were deployed to six camps from 25 to 28 July. The team worked with all key actors on the ground, including the camp protection focal points, Site Management and Shelter agencies, and CiCs to assess protection needs and risks. PERU, which is coordinated by UNHCR as the lead agency for the Protection Sector Working Group, also provided psychological first aid, made referrals to facilitate access of affected households and individuals to assistance and services as required, and assisted in the safe relocation of families whose shelters had been damaged or flooded.
CONTACTS:
Dalal Al Sharhan, Reporting Officer, UNHCR Bangladesh, sharhand@unhcr.org
Mai Hosoi, External Relations Officer, UNHCR Bangladesh, hosoi@unhcr.org