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Rohingya infiltration: Adverse effects on environment


Bangladeshpost
Published : 26 May 2019 06:08 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 10:12 AM

Farjana Afroj Khan Alin

The Myanmar army started ethnic cleansing in their Rakhain state on August 25, 2017. About seven lakh Rohingyas crossed the border and took refuge in Bangladesh. 58 per cent of them are women and children aged below 18. World leaders have already opined that the Rohingya crisis is a rapid and ever-increasing issue in the planet.

The Bangladesh government and its local people gave them shelter considering the matter as an acute humanitarian one. Different world countries and a number of organizations have come forward for their assistance. This infiltration, in fact, was initiated in 1978. About six lakh Rohingyas infiltrated in Bangladesh since then. The total number of Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh is now over 13 lakh.

The Myanmar government is so far reluctant to repatriate them. They are tactically avoiding the issue on various excuses. As a result, influx of huge Rohingya population, no doubt, has influenced Bangladesh’s environment as well as its socio-economic condition. Natural and social environment including forest areas of greater Chattogram, Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar and Ukhia  is now facing enormous and fatal condition due to refugee camps set up for a huge volume of Rohingya refugees. Trees are being depleted; birds and other wild animals lost their habitats.

Cost of administrative, infrastructural, protection of environment and social balance, thus, increased multiple. A provability of ecological catastrophe could not be ruled out if long term genuine and time befitting measures are not taken. At the same time, risk of socio-economic and health will also be enhanced. HIV positive patients have already been detected among the Rohingya refugees and this toll is not negligible. Besides, the Rohingyas are almost illiterate that means they are deprived of educational rights. And hence are not accustomed with modern lifestyle. They have no idea about modern family planning devices.

About 1.65 lakh shelter camps and infrastructures have been erected on an area of four thousand and eight hundred fifty one acres of forest land in eleven points of Ukhia and Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar for the Rohingya refugees. Among it, about three thousand and 156 acres are reserved forest land. Huge trees have already been depleted. These trees are being used as fuel. Resulting, risk of hillslides and earthquake are increasing during rainy monsoon.

According to UNDP report, an adverse effects of Rohingya infiltration devoured 26,660 acres of land out of 60,000 hactors of forest land of Cox’s Bazar. An approximate time of one year can rarely be passed off collecting fuel wood from the forests. But the entire forest land of 26,660 acres will be affected. That means it will be turned into a desert forest. A massive influence can be on proposed Inani National Park and Himchhari National Park if such rate of collecting fuel wood continues.

Reduction of underground water and its pollution is one of the critical problems being created by Rohingya infiltration and establishing their settlements. Water layer is ever decreasing at Teknaf coastal area while demand for water is increasing multiples.

Thousands of deep tube wells have already been erected to fulfill the growing demands of water. But over lifting of waters made the area crucial. This situation could be more aggravated in next one year. Cultivation can be hampered very seriously. As per geological characteristics due to rock layers in deep earth, installation of deep tube wells would be very difficult in the days to come.

On the other hand, latrines erected on urgent basis in the Rohingya camps are not hygienic. Unhygienic dirt of these latrines is being mixed with water in shallow water. As a result, presence of bacteria in even shallow tube wells is also exposed. According to Red cross, 70 pc E-coli has already been found in shallow tube wells.

Besides, the Rohingyas are being used as the medium of trespassing drug and illegal arms in Bangladesh. Resulting deterioration of law and order.

The Rohingyas have already accomplished a number of murders in their camps. Over thousand Rohingyas have already been convicted through mobile courts owing to their offences. 

According to UN report, average cost of Bangladesh’s people is 700 dollars. But the Rohingyas have no legal income. About 77 crore dollars can be expanded by the government for 13 lakh Rohingyas which influences the national economy at a very large extent. 400 crore taka has been allocated for the Rohingyas during current fiscal year. Side by side, a project of erecting 440 barracks and 120 shelters in 120 cluster village involving a cost of about 2,312 crore taka in Noakhali’s Bhasanchar has been okayed by the ECNEC for one lakh Rohingyas. Besides, cyclone centers and helipad will also be set up. Wildlife particularly elephant habitats are being damaged because of erecting a few camps on the ways of elephants. As a result, elephants are being come to local area in recent days. The number of wild elephants is being reduced day by day. Environment of tourist resort of Cox’s Bazar has become unsafe due to influx of the Rohingyas. Socal crimes like theft and snatching has increased remarkably at surrounding areas including the beach. A slide may engulf the tourism sector if such trend is on. Thousands of people involved in this sector may face economic setback which ultimately would influence the overall economy.

An integrated and pragmatic initiative to be adopted by different organizations from both home and abroad is the need of the hours to protect the local people from such consequences. And for the purpose, alternative fuels, planting of massive saplings should be thought from right now. New forest areas can also be declared as ‘sanctuary’ in this regard.  Side by side deep tube wells instead of shallow ones can fulfill scarcity of drinking water. Public awareness program can be done in camp areas. Besides, peasants should also be encouraged to meet the demand for additional food grains with incentives. Moreover international community should be realized these adverse effects so that international pressure on Myanmar could be mounted at an accelerated degree to repatriate the infiltrated Rohingyas within a very short period. And thus we can be relieved from that crisis. 

Otherwise, the additional burden will lead the country towards a deeper crisis.


Farjana Afroj khan is a PhD candidate, University of Malaya, Department of LAW, Malaysia