Bangladesh starts relocation of Rohingyas to the newly developed facility at Bhashan Char Island
Bhasan Char, also known as Char Piya, is an island in Hatiya Upazila, Bangladesh. It is located in the Bay of Bengal, about 6 kilometres from Sandwip island and 37 miles from the mainland.
Bhashan Char is a char land of around 13,000 acres, formed by the accumulation of the silt where the river Meghna meets the Bay of Bengal carrying rich alluvial deposits.
Char- lands are a common feature in Meghna and Padma rivers literally mean “Shifting Landmass”.
As the name reveals, the char was not part of the permanent land feature of Bangladesh but appeared recently.
Bhashan Char is surrounded by a mangrove forest that has given it geographical stability.
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.