Rohingya refugees struggle for water as Bangladesh camps face shortages
Rohingya families survive on 20 liters of water daily per person, with supplies falling further during dry months as humanitarian funding declines
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Rohingya refugees in overcrowded camps in southeastern Bangladesh are struggling to meet basic needs with just 20 liters of water per person each day, forcing families to ration supplies between drinking, cooking, bathing and sanitation as shortages worsen during dry months.
In Camp-22 in Teknaf, refugees collect water twice daily from communal tap stands and carry heavy containers along hilly, uneven paths to their shelters. During dry season, supplies can fall to 15 liters per person, leaving some residents unable to bathe for several days,according to Dhaka Tribune.
Ashraf, who lives with his elderly parents and four siblings, said collecting water for his family remains his responsibility regardless of whether he is sick. He said shortages also make it difficult to use enough water for toilets and sanitation.
“One can go without a meal, but one cannot go without water,” Ashraf said.
Women face similar pressure. Ayesha, whose husband is sick, collects water for her family with help from her eight-year-old daughter. She said family members sometimes take turns bathing because using additional water for washing can leave too little for cooking and other essential needs.
Water scarcity is particularly severe in Teknaf because underground layers of stone and rock make extracting sufficient groundwater difficult. Aid groups Dushtha Shasthya Kendra, known as DSK, and Oxfam operate a surface-water treatment system that supplies about 500,000 liters daily.
Water drawn from local sources is treated with alum and chlorine, tested for safety and distributed through storage facilities to 137 tap stands across four blocks. Supply runs twice daily, at 7 a.m. and 2:40 p.m.
But from December, water levels in nearby canals decline for about five months. Operators then draw water through a pipeline from about five kilometers away. When local sources dry up, daily allocation can fall from 20 liters to 15 liters per person.
Water problems form part of a broader humanitarian crisis facing Rohingya who fled persecution and military violence in neighboring Burma.
Bangladesh hosts about 1.2 million Rohingya, most living in densely populated camps around Cox’s Bazar with limited freedom of movement and heavy dependence on humanitarian assistance.
Camp authorities say pressure on services is growing as international funding declines while refugee population continues to increase.
About 225,000 children have been born in camps over past nine years, while continuing conflict in Burma has driven further arrivals across border.
Organizations have already begun winding down some projects as funding expires, while resources available for food, health, education and infrastructure are increasingly strained.
Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Md Mizanur Rahman warned that maintaining existing services has become one of authorities’ biggest challenges and that further funding reductions could make even minimum food assistance difficult by 2027.
For refugees such as Ashraf, daily struggle for water reinforces desire to return home, but continuing violence and insecurity in Burma have left prospects for safe, voluntary repatriation remote.
“It is not possible to live amid so much hardship,” he said. “We want to return to our own country.”
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