400,000 Rohingyas enter Bangladesh: UNICEF
Source: IT News / Siam Sarower Jamil

Dhaka, September 15 2017: UNICEF trucks filled with emergency water, sanitation and hygiene supplies for thousands of Rohingya children are headed to Cox's Bazar, with a steady stream of supplies in the pipeline for the coming days and weeks.

The UN body gave the update issuing a press release from Cox's Bazar on Thursday.

UNICAEF said up to 400,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since 25 August, with thousands more arriving every day.

Around 60 per cent are children, according to preliminary estimates.

The sheer number of refugees has overwhelmed pre-existing refugee camps, with new arrivals seeking shelter anywhere they can find space, according to the UNICEF press release.

"There are acute shortages of everything, most critically shelter, food and clean water," said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF's representative in Bangladesh.

"Conditions on the ground place children at risk of high risk of water-borne disease.

We have a monumental task ahead of us to protect these extremely vulnerable children" .

UNICEF supplies include detergent powder, soap, and pitchers and jugs for containing water, along with nappies, sanitary napkins, towels and sandals.

It is also supporting the Department of Public Health Engineering with water treatment plants and carriers, and is working with partners on the ground to install and rehabilitate tube wells.

These items are part of a first wave of supplies that will massively scale-up UNICEF's emergency response to the growing number of Rohingya children in Bangladesh, Beigbeder said.

UNICEF has appealed for $7.3 million to provide emergency support to Rohingya children over the next four months.

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