Severe Flash Floods Situation Update 2 (22 June 2022)

Heavy monsoon rains and water from upstream in India's northeast have inundated large parts of the Sylhet division, leaving millions of people marooned and triggering a humanitarian crisis. The flash floods swept away homes and inundated farmlands, forcing families to seek shelter on higher ground and temporary flood shelters, while power cut is making life miserable. Experts considered the flood worse than the ones they had experienced in 1998 and 2004. The crisis struck at a time when the people of the division were recovering from unexpected recent floods that hit in late May. An estimated 7.2 million people are affected by this sudden flash flood and water congestion in nine northeastern districts of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulivazar, Habiganj, Kishorganj, and Netrakona, Brahman Baria, Mymensing and Sherpur. Among the nine districts, five heavily impacted are Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulivazar, Habiganj and Netrakona. As many as 472,856 people have been taken to around 1,605 shelter centres in a combined effort of the Army, Navy, Fire Service, and the local authorities, according to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR). Many households are isolated due to floods, while some have taken shelter in open areas. The safety and security of women and girls in those households are at high risk.