Flooding adds pressure to long-running Rohingya crisis
Bangladesh disaster highlights the ongoing humanitarian challenges faced by some of the world's most vulnerable people.
22 July 2026 - DHAKA - Deadly monsoon floods and landslides have affected more than 1.1 million people in Bangladesh, including Rohingya refugees living in camps in Cox's Bazar.
Heavy rainfall in early July caused widespread flooding, landslides and damage across the southeast of the country. Cox's Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp and home to nearly one million displaced Rohingya, was among the hardest hit.
Within the Rohingya response area, around 52,000-53,000 refugees were affected, and Caritas Bangladesh says that the death toll in this area has reached at least 34. Shelters, roads, water systems and community facilities have been damaged, while landslides and flooding have forced thousands from their often makeshift homes.
Local shops are submerged in a Cox’s Bazar camp. Photo: Caritas Bangladesh
Caritas responds
Caritas staff and community volunteers responded immediately, sharing early warning information, supporting evacuations and helping families move before the worst of the weather arrived. Volunteers reached around 2,500 households and helped approximately 175 families evacuate safely.
A crisis without end
The flooding comes amid a humanitarian crisis that has continued for nearly a decade. Since Rohingya began fleeing persecution in Myanmar on a large scale in 2017, almost one million refugees have sought refuge in camps in Cox's Bazar, with limited opportunities to return home or rebuild their lives. The camps now face growing pressure as funding declines and need increases.
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has supported Rohingya refugees for many years through local partnerships. One of the programmes supported by Caritas NZ is the Barefoot Counsellors initiative, a community-based protection programme that trains Rohingya volunteers to provide psychological support, respond to gender-based violence, and connect people with specialist services.
“Although the programme continues, these floods present a huge challenge to the people we serve in the camps. Many families were already living with the uncertainty of displacement, poverty and trauma. Now they are facing damaged shelters, lost belongings and increased risks to their safety. These communities cannot face these challenges alone.”
Jongho Bae, Caritas aid worker.
Climate change exacerbates risk
For families living in the camps, Bangladesh’s rainy season, which typically lasts from about June to October, brings recurring risk. Shelters built on steep hillsides are vulnerable to landslides, while damaged roads and flooded access routes make it harder to access clean water, healthcare and other essential services. This emergency has been exacerbated by intense rainfall associated with El Niño. Bangladesh is also one of the countries most exposed to climate-related disasters. As weather events become more severe and less predictable, displaced communities face recurring losses of shelter, livelihoods and basic infrastructure, making long-term recovery increasingly difficult.
Around the world, Caritas responds to conflict, forced displacement, climate-related disasters and other crises. In Bangladesh, that work includes supporting both Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities as they face severe weather on top of existing humanitarian pressures.
Donate now to support humanitarian responses in places like Bangladesh, where communities are facing the combined impacts of displacement, poverty and climate disasters.