Rohingya refugee crisis threatens biodiversity of Bangladesh鈥檚 Cox鈥檚 Bazar

SHEHAB SUMON
In this Jan. 22, 2018, file photo, Rohingya children and refugees raise their hands and shout that they won't go back to Myanmar during a demonstration at Kutupalong near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Cutting of firewood by Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar is putting great stress to the region's biodiversity, according to a report. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
  • 2,000 hectares of forestland has disappeared due to refugees cutting trees for firewood
  • Bangladesh government plans to start reforestation once 1,00,000 refugees are shifted to the new island Bhashan Char (Floating island).

DHAKA: Some 2,000 hectares of forestland 鈥� equivalent to four football fields 鈥� around Cox鈥檚 Bazar, Bangladesh, has disappeared due to Rohingya refugees cutting trees for firewood, according to a report by the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG).

It added that 86 percent of drinking-water wells have been contaminated with the E.coli bacteria from fecal matter.

Due to the 鈥渆xtreme level鈥� of deforestation, the area鈥檚 biodiversity has been jeopardized, said Saiful Islam, assistant director of the environmental office in Cox鈥檚 Bazar.

The government will implement a reforestation plan once 100,000 Rohingya are relocated to Bhashan Char island in the Bay of Bengal, he added. 鈥淭his relocation process is supposed to start very soon,鈥� he said.

Hosting more than one million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar 鈥渉as created extraordinary pressure on our resources, as the population of Cox鈥檚 Bazar has more than doubled in a short span of time,鈥� Islam added.

Rakibul Amin, country manager for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), told Arab News: 鈥淒ue to deforestation, the biodiversity of Cox鈥檚 Bazar is under severe threat.鈥�

He added: 鈥淚t has destroyed a popular corridor for wild elephants, increasing the number of man-animal encounters.鈥� Some rare wildlife species are at risk due to the deforestation, he said.

Agricultural land near the refugee camps is facing siltation and contamination from fecal matter, according to the ISCG report.

Bishwajit Sen, an environmentalist in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, said: 鈥淭his deforestation has made this coastal district more vulnerable to climate change.鈥�

He added: 鈥淲e should have done better and systematic management of the environment from the outset of the refugee crisis.鈥�

To reduce dependence on firewood, some aid agencies have started arranging alternative fuel sources, the report said.

Topics: Rohingya Muslims cox's bazar Bangladesh deforestation