Flash Floods and Landslides Have Struck Rohingya Camps Again –We Cannot Look Away

Families were at home sleeping, when a hillside collapsed, burying their fragile bamboo shelters. A community-led search and rescue efforts saved many people buried by debris. Later, fire services and civil defence authorities took charge of the rescue operations and began their search for missing people.

Sadly, just as the search operation was called off for this incident on 8th July, the camp was rocked by more devastating news. This time the landslide struck a school. 

Rescuers saved 13 school children from the mud and debris, but tragically seven children did not survive the impact. Unfortunately, this is a known risk and exactly what we have been trying to raise an alarm on.

The children who lost their lives this week should have been safe. They should have been learning, playing, and dreaming about their futures. Instead, their families are grieving losses that were tragically preventable. 

In the Rohingya camps of Cox’s Bazar, the effects of the monsoon season are felt harder. Dense overcrowding, makeshift huts, and a lack of proper roads have all come together to make every monsoon even more challenging. For Rohingya families this season comes with a warning: if its raining, lives are at risk.  

More than one million Rohingya refugees live in Cox's Bazar after fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar. Most families, like Dil Nowas’ family, live in fragile shelters on steep, unstable hillsides that become increasingly dangerous during the monsoon season.  

So far, 43,000 Rohingya refugees have been impacted by two weeks of rainfall. I shudder to think what the impact would be by the end of the season. But then again, how does one calculate the impact of such destruction? Is it in the number of lives lost? Or in the number of food gardens washed away leaving survivors with nothing to eat? Or perhaps the impact should be measured in the never-ending fear of storms that many Rohingya refugees express to us year after year. While the news cycle has been overwhelming, I know these tragedies are preventable. Practical, well-funded measures can help communities prepare for extreme weather and reduce the risks families face during the monsoon season.

That is why Oxfam Ireland's Ahead of the Storm: Rohingya Monsoon appeal focuses on helping communities prepare for and rebuild after extreme weather disaster strikes.

For €120 you can support the training of Rohingya first responders, enabling local volunteers to warn neighbours, assist vulnerable people and help families evacuate quickly and safely when storms approach. 

But our work does not stop when the monsoon is over. Every year, in the aftermath of floods and landslides, we focus on strengthening food and water security in the camps through food-growing training and the installation of water pumps that can help communities recover more quickly in the aftermath of flooding and landslides.

These are practical, proven interventions that help communities stay ahead of disaster rather than simply responding after tragedy has struck.

There is another aspect to this crisis that I find hard to ignore. 

What adds another layer to the complexity of this crisis is the combination of growing humanitarian need and ongoing funding cuts. 

The reality is simple: without continued support, more families will be left exposed to preventable disasters. More children will face unnecessary risks. More communities will struggle to prepare for weather that is becoming increasingly unpredictable every year.

These events are a stark reminder of what is at stake. Supporting preparedness, resilience, and recovery efforts can help reduce the impact of future disasters and ensure Rohingya families are not left to face them alone. Because no child should lose their life simply because the rain came.