Oxfam scales up support for flood victims

Oxfam in Bangladesh has allocated Tk 1.21 crore to launch an emergency response for communities worst affected by the ongoing floods and appealed to donors and development partners for greater support.

The humanitarian organisation on Tuesday said floods, triggered by heavy monsoon rainfall, waterlogging and upstream runoff since early July, have affected over 11 lakh people in 10 districts, killing over 50 people, displacing thousands and causing widespread damage to homes, roads, cropland and water and sanitation facilities.

It said Chattogram has suffered the worst impact on lives and livelihoods, while Cox’s Bazar, including the Rohingya refugee camps, continues to face severe flooding, landslides and damage to essential services.

“This is one emergency unfolding across two distinct contexts,” said Country Director of Oxfam in Bangladesh Anil Pant.

“The floods and their cascading impacts have severely disrupted people’s lives and livelihoods. In Chattogram and other affected districts, families have lost homes, income and access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

In Cox’s Bazar, the danger is especially acute, as Rohingya families live in densely populated camps on fragile slopes, with limited space for safe relocation and heightened exposure to flooding and landslides,” he said.

Oxfam said access to safe drinking water, emergency food, shelter materials, hygiene and dignity kits, sanitation support and flexible cash assistance remains among the most urgent needs.

At least 3,500 water points and 12,400 latrines have been damaged, significantly increasing the risk of waterborne diseases, it said, adding that recovery efforts will require repairing homes and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) facilities alongside restoring livelihoods.

In the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Oxfam reported 164 landslides and 42 flooding incidents. Fifteen Rohingya refugees were killed after shelters and facilities collapsed.

A total of 9,707 refugees were displaced and temporarily relocated, while 482 weather-related incidents affected about 43,000 people from 9,463 households, it said.

Oxfam said women and girls, children, older people, persons with disabilities, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and female-headed households are facing heightened protection and health risks due to overcrowding, unstable slopes, damaged drainage systems and limited relocation space.

It said it has begun rapid needs and gender assessments in coordination with government authorities, the Needs Assessment Working Group and UN humanitarian clusters through its local partners.

In Chattogram, Oxfam plans to provide emergency food, safe drinking water, hygiene and dignity kits containing soap, detergent, sanitary pads, oral rehydration salts, saris and lungis. Vulnerable households will also receive multipurpose cash grants of Tk 8,000 to help meet urgent needs, including food, shelter repairs, healthcare, transport and livelihood recovery.

In Cox’s Bazar, Oxfam and its partners are assessing damage, repairing affected facilities within their operational areas and have provided personal protective equipment to 100 Rohingya volunteers serving as frontline emergency responders.

“We are already on the ground with our partners, listening to affected communities and acting on their most urgent priorities,” Pant said.

“Our initial allocation is an important first step, but the scale of need is far greater. We call on donors, businesses, development partners and concerned citizens to provide flexible funding so that more families can receive life-saving assistance and rebuild with dignity,” he added.

Oxfam aims to reach up to 1.6 lakh people through a locally led, gender-responsive response focused on immediate relief, livelihood recovery and climate-resilient reconstruction. The organisation said it is seeking 3 million euro in funding to implement the response.