Kutupalong, the largest refugees camp in the World

Kutupalong refugee camp is a refugee camp located in Ukhia, Bangladesh inhabited mostly by Rohingya Muslims that have fled from persecution in neighboring buddhist Myanmar country.

“Makeshift huts crammed onto muddy hillsides. Water wells fouled by nearby latrines. Rapidly-spreading diseases.” These are the terrible living conditions in Kutupalong camp.

It recently became the largest refugee settlement in the world hosting almost 600,000 occupants. Such huge growing is due mainly to the Rohingya Muslims exodus who have sought asylum from violence in Myanmar.

Seven-hundred-and-ninety hectares of land next to the existing Kutupalong camp were set aside last months for the new Rohingya arrivals. But as the number of newcomers has rapidly exceeded 500,000 – adding to 300,000 already in Bangladesh – another 400 hectares has been set aside for the new camp.

Map showing the expansion of the camp in the last 12 months.

In 2017, the Kutupalong makeshift camp and surrounding camps at Ghumdum, Balukhali, Thangkhali and others expanded quickly and merged into each other due to an unprecedented influx of refugees.

Sentinel-2 images animation over the Rohingya settlement area

The rapid growth is clearly distinguishable from satellite, and Copernicus Sentinel-2 images collected in the last twelve months show the increase of the huts settlements against the original vegetated areas. The green areas in the previous image are now muddy hills and fields crowded with tents and shelters.

Credits:

1. [http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/MYANMAR-ROHINGYA/010051VB46G/index.html]
2. [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/06/bangladesh-build-worlds-largest-refugee-camps-800000-rohingya]
3. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kutupalong_refugee_camp]

Written by Sardegna Clima Onlus