Govt signs $100m grant agreement with WB to support Rohingyas

The government on Thursday signed a $100 million grant financing agreement with the World Bank (WB) to scale up access to energy, water, sanitation services and disaster-resilient infrastructures for the displaced Rohingya people and the surrounding host communities.

This additional financing to the ongoing Emergency Multi-Sector Rohingya Crisis Response Project will benefit about 7.81 lakh people, including 1.41 lakh locals, with better public infrastructure, reads a press statement issued by the WB.

It will help about 3.66 lakh people get access to improved water sources and 1.72 lakh others get access to better sanitation.

This will be achieved through installing mini-piped water supply schemes, point water sources, and rainwater harvesting systems, along with household toilets and community toilets in the Cox's Bazar district, according to the press statement.

Regarding the agreement, Mercy Miyang Tembon, the WB's Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan said, "We recognise that the sheer magnitude of the (Rohingya) influx placed enormous pressure on Cox's Bazar's infrastructure and provision of basic services. The additional financing will help alleviate the pressure and address the needs of the host communities as well as the Rohingya people."

Md Shahabuddin Patwary, additional secretary of the Economic Relations Division, and Mercy Tembon signed the agreement on behalf of the government of Bangladesh and the World Bank, respectively.

The WB grant will help build 40 multi-purpose disaster shelters, accessible to 81,000 people and climate resilient evacuation roads, as well as install around 4,000 solar streetlights and 975 lightning protection systems.

It will also help government agencies strengthen institutional systems and capacities to plan, coordinate and respond to crisis and emergencies.

With the additional financing, WB's total commitment to the Rohingya Crisis Response Project stands at $265 million in grants. So far, the WB has provided $480 million in grants to enable Bangladesh to deal with the displaced population inflow.

Since Bangladesh's independence, WB has committed more than $31 billion in grants, interest-free, and concessional credits to the country, the press statement noted.