A Deadly Collapse in Cox’s Bazar
A landslide buried a community school in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on Wednesday, killing at least eight people. Among the dead were seven children and their teacher. The disaster, fueled by days of relentless monsoon rainfall, underscores the lethal vulnerability of nearly one million refugees sheltered on deforested, unstable hillsides.
Soil Erosion and the Monsoon Threat
The tragedy struck during school hours, offering students and staff almost no time to escape the structure, which was fashioned from bamboo and plastic sheeting. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), years of intensive habitation have stripped the terrain of its natural defenses. The removal of forests for firewood and shelter has destroyed the root systems that hold the earth in place, leaving the hillsides prone to collapse throughout the monsoon season, which spans June to September.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department had issued warnings of heavy rain ahead of the incident. Despite evacuation drills and early warning systems, the extreme density of the camps and a total lack of reinforced housing leave families with nowhere to go when the ground gives way.
The Fragility of Informal Education
The destroyed school functioned as part of an informal network for children barred from the formal Bangladeshi national school system. Lacking the documentation required for government institutions, Rohingya families rely on these NGO-supported centers for basic schooling.
The destruction of the facility has halted the education of dozens of children, highlighting the precarious state of local infrastructure. International donors have historically struggled to finance long-term fixes, such as hillside stabilization. Furthermore, the UN’s 2024 humanitarian appeal for the Bangladesh response faces significant funding shortfalls, leaving environmental risks largely unaddressed.
Stalled Relocation and Political Deadlock
To ease the crush of humanity at Cox’s Bazar, the Bangladeshi government has pushed to relocate refugees to Bhasan Char, an island in the Bay of Bengal. The policy is deeply contentious. Many refugees are reluctant to move, and rights groups continue to raise alarms about the island’s long-term viability.
The crisis finds no relief in the political climate of Myanmar. As of mid-2024, there is no credible agreement for the safe, voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya to Rakhine State. The military junta has failed to offer the citizenship rights and physical security that international observers demand as a prerequisite for any sustainable return.
Lingering Risks in the Chittagong Hills
Humanitarian agencies in the Chittagong Hill Tracts warn that the danger of further landslides remains high. With monsoon rains expected to persist, the structural exposure of the camps is a critical concern. While responders focus on emergency stabilization, the population remains trapped between environmental hazards and the absence of a durable political solution.