Dhaka: Bangladesh is planning to relocate 100,000 Rohingya refugees to a new island, Bhashan Char, in June as the monsoon season approaches in the next few months.
Massive construction is underway on the desolate island, which emerged from the Bay of Bengal in 2006, according to authorities. Bhashan Char means “floating island” in Bengali.
Shelters for 50,000 refugees have been constructed, with the rest to be completed in the next two months, said Bangladesh’s Disaster Management Secretary Shah Kamal.
The government has borne the $275 million cost of the project. The relocation process will start in the first week of June, Bangladeshi authorities said.
“On Wednesday, we had a meeting with all the stakeholders, including UN agencies, to relocate 100,000 Rohingya to a safer place as many of them are highly vulnerable to landslides during the upcoming rainy season,” said Kamal.
“A joint working group (JWG) comprising the government and UN agencies will be formed to implement the relocation during the next meeting, which is scheduled to take place on April 12.”
The island comprises 13,000 acres of land, 2,000 of which are protected from high tides and mudslides by a dam, and 120 centers will be constructed to shelter refugees during cyclones.
UN agencies are satisfied regarding safety issues on the island, so “they’re joining us in forming the JWG,” Kamal told Arab News.
“The JWG will finalize the nitty gritty and select the people who need to be moved immediately, based on the location of their present makeshift houses. We have scarcity of land in the Cox’s Bazar area, so it’s a suitable solution to the current crisis,” he added.
“Of course it’s not a replacement of their homeland. They’ll be repatriated when the situation gets better.”
There will be a common kitchen for every four families in each complex built to accommodate them, and there will be separate bathrooms for men and women.
