The largest human waste treatment plant will be opened at a Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar today. Oxfam and UNHCR have jointly installed the industrial-scale plant, funded by the UN Refugee Agency, which can process the waste of 150,000 people- equivalent to the population of Nawabganj. State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr MD Enamur Rahman will inaugurate the site officially on Tuesday, said a press release of UNHCR issued yesterday.

Being able to treat large volumes of faecal waste on site, rather than having to transport it elsewhere, is a big step forward in how to safely and sustainably dispose of such waste in emergencies, the release said.

Last year, over 2 lakh cases of acute diarrhoea were reported in the Rohingya camps as well as respiratory infections and skin diseases like scabies -all related to poor sanitation and hygiene.

Over the last seven months, Oxfam and UNHCR engineers alongside Rohingyas have built the massive system which has been specially designed for the steep, hilly terrain and to have the cheapest possible operation and maintenance costs.