Rohingya arrivals now 607,000: UN
UNB
Some 607,000 new arrivals are reported as of October 28, according to IOM Needs and Population Monitoring, UNHCR and other field reports released yesterday, reports UNB. Since the last situation report on October 26, there have been 2,000 new arrivals, said the reports. According to the IOM, the government has registered 325,660 people using biometric registration as of October 28 while the Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) is constructing access roads towards different camps. Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya on Sunday said the registration of some 3.65 lakh Rohingya people, who have fled Myanmar to avoid persecution, has been completed.
Meanwhile, 10 access roads having a total length of 9.25 kms are being constructed and 68 percent work has already been completed. Bangladesh Army started construction of the main connecting road within the new camp, which will be 22 kms long. Five kms have been completed. The Bangladesh governments Social Services Division has identified and registered 22,484 orphaned children. Thirteen new NGOs were granted FD7 permission this week. The Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) remains avail able to assist partners with the clearance process through the NGO Coordination Cell. During the last reporting period, many statistics have changed due to better data collection and better data reporting from partners, the report claimed. Violence in Rakhine State which began on August 25 last has driven an estimated 607,000 Rohingya across the border into Coxs Bazar. The speed and scale of the influx has resulted in a critical humanitarian emergency. The people who have arrived in Bangladesh came with very few possessions.
They have used the majority of their savings on transportation and constructing a shelter, often out of no more than bamboo and thin plastic. They are now reliant on humanitarian assistance for food, and other life-saving needs. Basic services that were available prior to the influx are under severe strain due to the massive increase in people in the area. In some of the sites that have spontaneously emerged, there is no access to water and sanitation facilities, raising the risks of an outbreak of disease.
