“Floating Island”: New home for Rohingya

Bangladesh is turning a cyclone-lashed island in the Bay of Bengal into a home for 100,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in neighbouring Myanmar

Bhasan Char, meaning “floating island”, emerged from silt around 20 years ago. It regularly floods during Jun-Sep monsoon season

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Bhasan Char project 
Area: 6.7 sq km 
Cost: $280m
BHASAN CHAR

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Dhaka
BANGLADESH
MYANMAR
Meghna River
INDIA
Chittagong
Meghna estuary
Cox’s Bazaar
BAY OF BENGAL
40km 25 miles
Kutupalong: More than RAKHINE 585,000 people living in STATE and around refugee camp
More than 688,000 Rohingya have fled persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine State since Aug 2017, joining around 300,000 refugees already in Bangladesh
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MYANMAR
BANGLADESH
CHINA
BAY OF BENGAL
INDIA
800km 500 miles

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Plan: 120 plots of land
Plots: Each contains 12 buildings and one cyclone shelter
Shelter houses 23 families
Pond
Buildings: Each metal-roofed, brick building, raised on pylons, houses 16 families
Helipads
Flood barriers: Chinese and British engineers building 13km embankment
Sea
Foreshore
300-400m    32m
Embankment: 2.47m high
Offshore structure
protects from waves
Water filter below deck
Kitchens 
36.8m
12.5m

Rooms: Each family (four persons) allocated 3.5m by 4m room. Shared kitchens and bathrooms
Solar panels
Toilets


Sources: Mukta Dinwiddie MacLaren Architects, Atlanta Housing Ltd, UNOCHA, Reuters
Picture: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
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