Hill cutting on amid Rohingya surge
Indiscriminate tree and hill cutting is still going on in Cox's Bazar as newly arrived Rohingyas are constructing their makeshift settlements, posing a threat to the environment.
Visiting Balukhali refugee camp in Ukhia upazila, the news agency found many Rohingyas busy building their tents on hills felling trees, even making themselves vulnerable to hill slide that often happens during incessant rains.
According to officials, seeking anonymity, 7,000-8,000 newly arrived Rohingyas are yet to get any place to live in while rains triggered by depression have worsened their woes.
Mariam Khatun, a sexagenarian Rohingya refugee who lost her husband barely a week ago, came to Bangladesh three days back along with his only son Md Faruk.
They were found preparing a place on a hill for their living.
"We had to walk for three days to reach the border. Then we stayed in the no-man's land for another four days with little food and water," Mariam told the news agency.
She also said they stayed in others' houses in Bangladesh for the last three days as they failed to manage any place for themselves. "Somehow we have managed a place to live in but still we are unable to get a card which will provide us food and health security," she added.
They have not yet registered their names under the biometric system which is needed for officials to keep their records.
Around 50 percent of the 15,000-20,000 Rohingyas, who gathered at the no-man's land of Anjumanpara along the border, entered Bangladesh on Thursday alone.
The local administration and different agencies like IOM and Red Cross have been providing food and medical services to the Rohingyas who fled persecution in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
However, they are struggling to provide adequate services to the huge number of Rohingyas with limited resources.
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