Bangladesh, July 6 -- As monsoon floodwaters begin to inundate Bangladesh's Chalan Beel wetlands, boat builders in Natore's Singra Upazila are working around the clock to meet soaring demand, with rising water levels prompting residents and fishermen to buy new boats and repair old ones.

The annual flooding has started reaching the low-lying parts of Singra, where water levels are rising steadily with the onset of the monsoon.

For thousands of people living in the country's largest wetland, boats become an essential lifeline during the rainy season, when roads disappear beneath floodwaters and villages are cut off for months.

From the Bengali months of Ashar to Kartik, much of the Chalan Beel region remains submerged, disrupting road ...