Teknaf, Bangladesh: Unregistered Arakanese Rohingya refugees living in Leda (Tal) operated by Islamic Relief worldwide (IR) are facing acute water shortage.

The refugees, including women and girls, have to go to a stream to fetch water daily, but there is no security for women members because it is far from the camp near the forest, according to the camp committee.

The water is being supplied by the Islamic Relief once a day. The camp has over 13,000 refugees, but only four water supply stations are located in the camp, which is not sufficient for the refugees to get the water within the supply time, he added.

In such a situation, some local people who live near the camp and others take advantage of Rohingya women refugees, who fetch water from the stream near the camp in the mountainous area, said an elderly woman from the camp.

An Islamic Relief spokesman (water supply) said that they supply water once in the morning and again in the evening.

According to refugees, water is only supplied in the morning for an hour after that there is no supply. But if any delegation visits the camp, we get water the whole day till the delegation leaves.

“If we fetch water from the stream near our camp we could be molested or raped,” said a refugee woman.