Saudi-funded project to provide safe water to 200,000 Rohingya

More than 200,000 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar are expected to benefit from a $2.5 million Saudi-funded project to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities across seven refugee camps.

The 12-month initiative, funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) and implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), began on October 1.

Under the project, the IOM will install and upgrade critical infrastructure, including solar-powered water networks, wastewater treatment systems and washing facilities.

IOM chief of mission in Bangladesh, said the project would improve access to safe water, cleaner sanitation facilities and hygiene services for more than 200,000 Rohingya.

She said access to safe water, clean toilets and proper hygiene facilities remained a challenge for many families living in overcrowded camps, where inadequate sanitation could increase the risk of disease.

More than one million Rohingya refugees continue to live in camps in Cox’s Bazar, nine years after the mass displacement from Myanmar in 2017, she added.

Bonde said declining humanitarian funding had placed increasing pressure on aid organisations, forcing them to prioritise urgent life-saving services while some other essential services remained on hold.

She said the KSrelief-funded initiative would help sustain essential services and improve living conditions for refugee families.

Limited access to clean water and safe sanitation also poses particular risks to women and children.

Babu Nesa, a 45-year-old mother of two living in the camps, said she hoped the assistance would ease water and sanitation problems.

She said bathrooms were located far from some families' homes, making young girls feel unsafe and exposing them to risks of harassment or kidnapping.

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