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A woman and a boy move to shelter on a bamboo raft during flash floods in Sylhet, 2022Nayeemibnmatiur, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Active response

Monsoon floods in Sylhet

Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. Started . Last updated .

People affected
1.1 million
People we've reached
86,400
Hazard
Flood

What happened

Heavy rainfall in the Meghalaya hills upstream sent the Surma and Kushiyara rivers above danger level on 22 September. Water reached more than 600 villages within four days.

Roads into the worst-hit unions were cut for nine days. Most families moved to school buildings and raised embankments, and many lost stored rice and seed for the next planting.

What people need now

  • Safe drinking water and purification tablets82% funded
  • Shelter kits for families in temporary sites64% funded
  • Multipurpose cash for 12,000 households41% funded
  • Seed and tools before the boro planting season18% funded

Our response

We work through organisations already rooted in Sylhet. They know who has been missed, which roads are open and what families are asking for.

  • Haor Community Development TrustDistribution and household registration
  • Sylhet Women's Health NetworkMobile health and hygiene sessions

Plan and progress

  1. Day 1Rapid needs assessment in 14 unions with partner field teamsDone
  2. Day 3First water and food distributions by boatDone
  3. Week 2Shelter kits and hygiene supplies to 9,200 familiesDone
  4. Week 4Cash transfers by mobile money to registered householdsPlanned
  5. Month 3Seed, fertiliser and tool packs ahead of plantingPlanned
  6. Month 6Raised plinths for homes and tube wells in flood-prone villagesPlanned
A man carries his belongings through floodwater in Sylhet, 2022Nayeemibnmatiur, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
A man carries his belongings through floodwater in Sylhet, 2022
Relief distribution for flood-affected families in Sylhet City, June 2024Press Information Department, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Relief distribution for flood-affected families in Sylhet City, June 2024

Latest updates

  1. Water reaching most cut-off villages

    Boat routes now cover 11 of 14 unions. Two remain reachable only on foot; partners are carrying purification tablets in.

  2. Cash transfers approved

    Household registration finished for 8,700 families. Transfers start once mobile networks are stable across the district.

  3. Response launched

    Emergency reserve funds released within 24 hours of the first assessment report.

Sources

  • Bangladesh Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre river bulletins, 22 Sep to 10 Oct 2026
  • Joint needs assessment with partners, 25 Sep 2026
  • Vitaria distribution records, updated 11 Oct 2026

Figures are reviewed by our programme team before publication and updated at least weekly during an active response.