UNHCR is working to re-position and weatherproof up to 80,000 shelters in southern Bangladesh to withstand rains expected in March.
During the first weeks after late August, when Rohingya refugees arrived from Myanmar in Bangladesh, there was little time to plan the location or construction of dwellings. Whatever bamboo or sheeting that could be procured locally was assembled to provide basic relief from the elements.
Now that the displacement has slowed -‑ leaving 655,000 refugees hemmed into this area, the majority in the extended Kutupalong camp — the focus is turning to providing better shelter materials, helping refugees build more robust structures, and, where possible, relocating families to more stable ground.
All this aims at saving lives before the rainy season starts in a few months’ time. After that, this low-lying land, interspersed with rolling hills, will become susceptible to landslides and flash floods.
“We have a huge amount of work to do,” said Richard Evans, UNHCR’s senior shelter specialist in Cox’s Bazar. “Before the monsoon comes, we need to move as many people as possible to higher ground, and keep providing shelter kits.”
So far, UNHCR has distributed 30,000 shelter kits and has a target of 80,000 by March. In all, there are about 100,000 shelters in Kutupalong.
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