‘Refugees in dire straits from lack of basic resources’
COX’S BAZAR: Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh could die due to a lack of food, shelter and water for the huge numbers of them fleeing violence in Myanmar, an aid agency warned.
“Many people are arriving hungry, exhausted and with no food or water,” Mark Pierce, Bangladesh country director for the Save the Children aid agency, said in a statement yesterday.
“I’m particularly worried that the demand for food, shelter, water and basic hygiene support is not being met due to the sheer number of people in need.
“If families can’t meet their basic needs, the suffering will get worse and lives could be lost.”
Pierce said the humanitarian response needed to be rapidly scaled up.
“That can only be done if the international community steps up funding,” he added.
Bangladesh border guards said yesterday that the flow of refugees leaving Myanmar had eased off over the past day, apparently because bad weather had discouraged people from taking to boats to reach Bangladesh.
Heavy rain over the weekend turned roads into mud, with countless Rohingya putting up shelters with bamboo and plastic sheets beside them.
“People are living in these muddy, awful conditions. You have to get them to some sort of space where aid can be delivered,” said Chris Lom of the international Organisation for Migration. “Clean water and sanitation can only be delivered in a structured environment.”
Bangladesh was planning a camp for the new arrivals, but Lom said it was unclear how long it would take to build.
“It all depends on the resources the government throws at it and the resources we throw at it,” he said.
There is no sign that violence has stopped in Myanmar, with smoke, apparently from burning villages, seen as recently as Friday, meaning more refugees are likely to cross.
Human Rights Watch said satellite imagery showed 62 Rohingya villages had been torched since the violence erupted.
If families can’t meet their basic needs, the suffering will get worse and lives could be lost.
Mark Pierce