Most of the makeshift Rohingya camps are built either on the hilltops or alongside the hillslope areas. With the Bay of Bengal right around the corner and the commencement of the monsoon season in the country, things are looking more dismal than usual. Cox’s Bazar is an area with high rain density. Landslide and torrential downpour in the hillslope areas mean it gets very risky for the locals. The plight of the Rohingya refugees during the last two rainy seasons knew no bounds, as was shown by the media. They had suffered a lot during the torrential downpour and with the arrival of monsoon; it seems their sufferings have started again.

There is also a serious threat of contagious water-related diseases in this rainy season within the Rohingyas camps. The government has already moved many of the makeshift camps, but it is not sufficient as per the requirements, and has not ended the monsoon sufferings fully. Bangladesh has already earned a reputation across the world for sheltering the Rohingya community. They should now pay heed to the wellbeing of these refugees and shift the campsites to a more suitable place so that this monsoon downpour can’t cause havoc for them. The international organisations should also come forward to assist in this effort.

Md Zillur Rahaman, By email