Visiting UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Operations George Okoth-Obbo on Tuesday visited Rohingya camps to review UNHCR's work on the ground, assess emergency response and monsoon preparations.
The Assistant High Commissioner visited the main Kutupalong refugee site in Ukhia sub-district and reviewed UNHCR's work there.
"It is a critical moment", he said in a statement. "We all must do everything necessary to prevent that a new disaster follows the painful experience that refugees have already lived."
It is estimated that 200,000 Rohingya could be at danger of landslides and/or flooding, and UNHCR and its partners have been working to try to mitigate the risks inside the settlements, as well as relocating families who would potentially lose their homes due to landslides to safer areas, said UNHCR.
Okoth-Obbo will also visit Camp 4 extension where additional land was recently allocated by the Bangladesh government to help relocate families most at risk of landslides when the monsoon hits.
Extensive work to prepare the hilly land was part of a joint initiative by UNHCR, IOM and WFP under the interagency Site Management Engineering Project (SMEP).
UNHCR and partners are currently installing shelters and services on an initial 12 acres of newly-prepared land that could provide homes for nearly 500 families.
Okoth-Obbo will also be visiting other refugee settlements in Nayapara and Chakmarkul before he returns to Dhaka for the final commitments of his mission.
He arrived here on Sunday on a five-day visit, to see the agency's ongoing response to the Rohingya refugee emergency and preparations ahead of the monsoon season.
Okoth-Obbo began his five-day visit meeting key Bangladesh government officials who are involved in the Rohingya response, including Md.
Shah Kamal, Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and Shahidul Haque, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Okoth-Obbo expressed his gratitude to the government and the people of Bangladesh for hosting close to 880,000 refugees and reiterated UNHCR's commitment to continue supporting and working closely with the Government on all aspects, particularly to avert harm due to the monsoon.