Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face food shortages and landslide risks

Nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, Bangladesh, face critical humanitarian challenges as funding for essential services remains strained. The World Food Programme (WFP) reports high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition among the population. To address these needs, South Korea has contributed US$5 million to support WFP programs for over 462,000 refugees over the next 12 months. This funding will provide electronic food vouchers to approximately 164,000 people and nutritional support for 36,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as school meals for 260,000 children.

In addition to food shortages, the refugee settlements face severe environmental risks. The camps are extremely densely populated, with over 1.17 million dwellers occupying roughly 24 square kilometers. This congestion, combined with settlements built on unstable sandy hill slopes, has made the area highly vulnerable to natural disasters. Heavy monsoon rains have triggered frequent landslides; between July 4 and 19, more than 200 landslides occurred, resulting in at least 15 deaths. Authorities note that further camp expansion to accommodate new arrivals from Myanmar is difficult due to the environmental impact on forests and the instability of the terrain.