Bangladesh prepares for annual monsoon and flood

This is an anxious time for the people of Char Atra, an island of silt, sand, paddy fields and huts in the middle of the Ganges.

The monsoon is drenching South Asia, and millions of gallons of water are heading towards the Char from as far away as the Himalayas.

By the end of August, the region will be completely inundated. Instead of walking to school or the market, the 10,000 inhabitants may instead have to swim or move about on banana-tree rafts.

Last minute work is now being done to get things ready; the river is too powerful and the island too low to prevent the floods, but homes and paths can be heightened.

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