The climate of Sylhet is tropical monsoon with a predominantly hot and humid summer and a relatively cool winter. The city is within the monsoon climatic zone, with annual average maximum temperatures of 23°C (Aug-Oct) and average minimum temperature of 7°C (Jan). Nearly 80% of the annual average rainfall of 3,334 mm occurs between May and September. Each year when monsoon sets in, many areas of Sylhet are underwater for periods of time. Unplanned urbanization, lack of long term strategies and irregular maintenance contribute significantly to this.

In April 2010 Sylhet City Corporation initiated a project (USD $1.5million) to remove illegal infrastructures and excavate drainage systems. However, illegal land grabbers and influential encroachers hindered the activities and, as a result it was shut down without achieving any real progress.

In the 2013 mayoral election, water logging was a crucial campaign issue.  All candidates pledged a commitment to resolving the crisis and identified retrieving unused or dead canals from land grabbers as a key issue for reform.

In 2014 Sylhet City Corporation allocated USD $3million to address water-logging and associated issues including waste management and environmental impact.

Building a water-logging resilient city program in Sylhet involves a community based model administered through the Ward Disaster Management Committee and Community Volunteer Groups for each ward.

In January 2014, the Ward Disaster Management Committee conducted urban risk assessments in selected wards of Sylhet. The assessments identified water-logging as the number one problem in all wards.  

Specific activities for developing water-logging resilience are being implemented and include:

Sylhet City Corporation is the lead agency for the initiative. Financial support comes largely via the annual budget allocation from government along with additional support from the international NGO, Oxfam. 

The impact of the program is visible across the city.

As the initiative is led and financed by Sylhet City Corporation there are no major organizational or financial barriers. The main challenges are to continue to fund and manage the project over time and keep the community engaged to ensure long-term success of the project.

The Sylhet model shows that an integrated approach is required to reverse the consequences of water-logging. The planning phase needs to be designed in a participatory way to include community and government working together. Most importantly education and awareness programs aimed at schools and families are vital to the on-going success of eradicating water-logging from any city.

- Sylhet, Bangladesh, , Building a Water-logging Resilient Sylhet City, Guangzhou Award, 2014