Bangladesh starts the relocation of Rohingyas to the newly developed facility at Bhashan Char Island.
Important Point
The Bhashan Char - which in English translates to “floating island” – is a silt island developed by the Bangladesh Navy, where the Bangladeshi authorities plan to relocate 100,000 Rohingya refugees.
It was formed about two decades ago at the mouth of the river Meghna.
Bhashan Char is an uninhabited island where the government of Bangladesh has made shelter houses for one lakh Rohingya refugees at an estimated cost of Tk. 2,300 crore.
The environmentalists say that the Bhashan char falls in an ecologically fragile area prone to floods, erosion, and cyclones.
Though the Bangladesh government has built a three-meter-high embankment along its perimeter to keep out tidal surges during cyclones.
In April 2020, 306 Rohingyas rescued off a boat in the Bay of Bengal were taken to the Bhashan Char and settled there.