HYDERABAD: Before the Covid-19 outbreak and the lockdown, a visit to the Rohingya camp at Balapur usually painted a picture of peace as most residents used to be at their workplace.
Now with the lockdown and the avenues of employment shut for the refugees from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, there is a chaotic, panic-induced hustle and bustle at the camp where around 6,000 people reside.
For around 10 days, the Rohingyas in Hyderabad, who mostly used to work as daily-wage labourers at construction sites or be engaged in the sale of vegetables, have had no work. As a result, their savings have been dwindling.
Many told the Express that they would not have food after three or four days when the last of their resources perish. A Rohingya, who used work with a construction firm, said, “I have food and money that will last till Wednesday. After that, I have no idea what to do”. His is a family of six, and he is the sole breadwinner.
For now, these families are dependent on individuals and associations, who have been kind enough to donate essential commodities to them.
Around 80 families at the camp received ration from traders’ associations, which include one kg of dal and one oil packet among other essentials.
A United Nations-affiliated NGO, Save the Children, that works for the welfare of the refugees, identified and prioritised those who needed ration the most and distributed the same to around 50 elderly Rohingya citizens and around 30 families headed by women.
The NGO has also been utilising the budget from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and has been trying to procure essential commodities for the 1,300 families who stay at the Balapur camp.
“Each family will have seven to eight members and their main intake is rice. Accordingly, we are trying to procure it,” said a member of the NGO. It is planning to distribute one bag of rice, five kg of wheat flour, three litres of oil and different pulses, apart from hand sanitisers, soap and disinfectants to each family. However, with the country under lockdown, it is struggling to procure these items.
“We are facing a lot of challenge in procuring these essentials. We appeal to the State government to help us out,” said an official from Save the Children.
With the situation worsening every day, the NGO is planning to distribute rice and oil to Rohingyas by Wednesday. The other commodities may take a little more time to procure. Another point of concern for the refugees amid the Coronavirus outbreak is that a majority of them are not maintaining social distancing or wearing masks.
“Social distancing is a challenge for the community for they live quite close to each other,” said an NGO official, adding that numerous awareness sessions have been conducted for them so far.