By P.K.Balachansdran/Sunday Observer

Colombo, December 28 – The total damage wrought by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka in November-December was to the tune of US$ 4.1 billion, equivalent to 4% of the country’s GDP in 2024, says the World Bank’s Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation(GRADE) report published on Tuesday.

The damage suffered by Kandy district was to the tune of US$ 680 million, by Puttalam US$ 486 million, Badulla million US$ 379 million and Gampaha US$ 268 million.   

Nearly 1.6 million people or 7% of the island’s population were affected by the cyclone. The worst affected districts by people affected were Colombo and Puttalam. By December 11, the Disaster Management Centre’s (DMC) had reported 640 fatalities and 211 missing.

Maximum wind speeds between 65 and 90 km/h were reported. Torrential rainfall was widespread, with a maximum recorded rainfall of over 300 mm in 24 hours in Vavuniya and Mullaitivu. The excess rainfall and “ooding” triggered landslides in the mountainous area.

“Ood Waves” Caused Havoc

All 25 Sri Lankan districts were impacted by “ooding” and extreme rainfall. An “ood wave” (or more commonly phrased as flood wave) refers to a rapid surge or propagating wave of floodwater moving downstream in a river or channel. It’s a wall-like rush of water that can rise suddenly and cause devastating flash flooding.

Residential building damage, including contents, accounted for US$985 million, or 24% of the total estimated damage. Non-residential buildings and contents damage accounted for a total of US$562 million, or 14% of the total estimated damage. The damage was spread across sectors like education, health, commercial, and large industrial facilities and factories located along some of the large rivers and creeks which ooded.

Infrastructure damage is estimated at US$ 1.735 billion, accounting for approximately 42% of the total damage, with substantial damage to transport, water, and energy systems. Roads, bridges, railways, and water infrastructure.

Agricultural damage is estimated at US$ 814 million, or nearly 20% of the total estimated damage, with notable damage to paddy and   vegetable crops, subsistence farming, maize, livestock, and agricultural infrastructure as well as some damage to inland fisheries.  

Critical Insights

The scale of housing and non-residential damage highlights structural vulnerabilities and the need to “build back better” through more resilient design, improved land use planning, and enhanced ood control structures, the report says.

Agriculture damage is expected to deepen rural poverty and food insecurity in already fragile communities. There are significant impacts on infrastructure and economic sectors such as transport, energy, water, and tourism which will need focused resilient recovery plans.

A social vulnerability analysis highlights losses in the districts of Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Kegalle, in terms of housing losses.

However, the GRADE assessment calculated only the replacement costs and did not include the costs of “building back better.” It did   not estimate economic losses or the broader and longer-term recovery and reconstruction needs, that are also crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the disaster.

The 2021 Sri Lanka poverty rate (against the National Poverty Line) is estimated at 14.3% . And the majority of the population and economic activity are located in low-lying, ood-prone areas, including the largest city, Colombo.

Landslides

The highest number of landslides was in the Ududumbara Divisional Secretariat in Kandy District which registered 135 landslides. Laggala (Matale District), Kothmale East (Nuwara Eliya District), and Lunugala and Passara (Badulla District) each registered over 60 landslides each.

Residential Structures

Damage to residential structures is extensive. Over 6,000 homes were reported as fully damaged, with a further 112,000 reported as partially damaged. Kandy and Puttalam districts reported the most damage with more than 2,000 and 627 fully damaged, respectively, and 14,111 and 20,813, partially damaged, respectively.

Approximately 247 km of A- and B- roads were reported as damaged by “ooding” with 40 road bridges destroyed. Many local roads and private roads were affected, as well as many bridges.

Railway Losses  

Seventy percent of the railway networks were reported as unusable. A smaller share of lines sustained physical damage, and within those, some sections were significantly damaged. The General Manager of Railways estimated the damage in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

School Buildings

Education infrastructure was also badly affected, with over 1,000 schools reported damaged by the Ministry of Education. The preliminary estimate for damage to the Peradeniya University is reported by the university as at least US$ 9.7 million.

Notable impacts were reported to health clinics and hospitals, including ooding damage to over 100 small hospitals, and three larger hospitals.

Agricultural Loss

The agriculture sector employs nearly 30% of Sri Lankans, primarily in the production of rice. Vegetables, maize, subsistence farming and cash crops were significantly affected. At least 100,000 hectares of paddy were destroyed, with 150,000 hectares also affected/damaged.

Agricultural damage estimates total US$ 814 million, or around 20 % of the total damage estimate. This includes crop and livestock damage, and small-scale infrastructure such as irrigation. The damage was caused mostly by ood water and mud, as well as landslides. In the case of some storage facilities, rain intrusion was also recorded as a driver of damage.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Health reported that tens of thousands of heads of livestock (e.g. cattle, buffaloes, goats and pigs) have perished. Additionally, media outlets reported that nearly three million chickens perished

Infrastructure Damage  

The infrastructure capital lost is valued at US$ 1.735 billion or 42% of the capital damage. Key sectors damaged included power networks, telecommunications assets, water networks, and transport, including airports, roads, and coastal infrastructure.

Telecommunications networks were impacted by landslides and power outages, but were reported restored within days. The electricity network was also impacted with around 55% losing connection; however, restoration was reported to be rapid.

Need to Go Beyond Replacement

The damage done by cyclone Ditwah indicates that post-event recovery cannot be limited to asset replacement at pre-event standards, the report says. Observed failure mechanisms point to the need for targeted improvements in transport hydraulic design, bridge scour protection, slope stabilization, dam safety, drainage improvements, sediment management, and infrastructure siting.

Incorporating these measures within recovery and reconstruction programs is critical to reducing repeat losses under similar or more extreme future events, particularly in upland and downstream ood-prone systems.

“Build back better” approaches are needed in regard to buildings and infrastructure, as well as agricultural assets and irrigation systems.

High Cost of Reconstruction

Globally, in past events of similar nature, reconstruction costs of 1.75 to 2.5 times the direct damage have been incurred.

Bridge damage is especially critical, as structural failure or load restrictions at river crossings result in network-level disconnection rather than isolated asset damage. The scale of observed damage impacts indicates exceedance of design ood levels, insufficient freeboard at crossings, and limited resilience to debris-laden oods, particularly in the Central Highlands and downstream catchments.

Energy and water infrastructure sustained significant impacts linked to sediment transport and prolonged inundation. Hydropower facilities in upland catchments experienced damage associated with high sediment loads, debris impact, and intake clogging, leading to operational outages and increased maintenance requirements.

Water supply systems were affected by widespread mud infiltration, resulting in contamination of treatment facilities and distribution networks. Irrigation channels have also seen major damage.

These impacts demonstrate the sensitivity of infrastructure performance to upstream erosion processes and highlight the need to address catchment-scale drivers of sediment mobilization as part of recovery planning.

Sediment Accumulation

Sediment accumulation reduces soil fertility, impairs drainage, and delays replanting, leading to multi-season productivity losses. These impacts are not adequately captured by short-term crop damage estimates and require longer-term soil rehabilitation and land restoration interventions to restore agricultural output.

These impacts are felt directly by smallholders and rural households, making the impacts disproportionately severe. The loss of a substantial number of hectares of farmland, over two million farm animals, and major shares of vegetable, fruit, maize and cash crop production directly undermines the subsistence and market incomes of tens of thousands of farmers in the most heavily affected districts. Food security in the short term may also be a concern.

Compared with clean-water ooding, sediment-laden inundation results in greater structural degradation, prolonged uninhabitability, and higher demands for debris removal and sanitation. This disproportionately affects low-income households and small enterprises, where recovery resources are limited and repair timelines are extended.

Health Service Disruption

Approximately more than 22,500 pregnant women and 520,500 women of reproductive age have been affected by Cyclone Ditwah. With several hospitals and health clinics damaged, many women are left without reliable access to life-saving sexual and reproductive health service, increasing risks of unassisted births, pregnancy complications and unmet family planning needs.

Tourism Hit 

The tourism sector in coastal areas and along affected railway sections of Sri Lanka has been particularly hard hit, with large losses expected. For a tourism-dependent economy, prolonged damage to infrastructure, combined with cancelled trips and disruptions, is likely to reduce tourism activity in the short term.

India Rushes Relief 

International aid poured in with India taking the lead. India has pledged US$ 450 million for reconstruction. The IMF had pledged US$ 206 million ,the ADM 40 million, EU Euro 35 million, World Bank 120 million, and the US USD 2 million. China is also expected to announce aid.

In line with its Neighbourhood First policy, India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu to provide humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka. An Engineer Task Force of 48 Indian Army personnel was airlifted and deployed on a war footing to deliver critical engineering support. The primary focus is the restoration of vital communication lines, including the repair and construction of damaged roads and bridges.

The task force includes specialised bridging experts, surveyors, and watermanship specialists, along with personnel skilled in operating heavy earth-moving equipment, drones, and unmanned systems, enabling precise and effective engineering support.

Four sets of modular Bailey bridges, airlifted by Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft. The team is also equipped with pneumatic boats, outboard motors, HESCO bags, and advanced tools such as heavy-payload drones and remotely controlled boats.

The team has conducted reconnaissance of multiple bridge sites requiring urgent restoration. Work has commenced at the Kilinochchi Bridge site, where a modular Bailey bridge, adaptable to site-specific conditions, will be installed to restore connectivity promptly, the release added.

Jaishankar’s Announcements 

After talks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and President Anura Kumara Dissanayale, the Indian Foreign Minister S.Jaishankar said- “India’s relief and assistance mission – Operation Sagar Bandhu – commenced on the very day that Cyclone Ditwah made landfall. Our Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant and another ship INS Udaygiri were present at Colombo and delivered relief material and thereafter also deployed helicopters. Thereafter, a number of Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Airforce were active for a period of more than two weeks in Sri Lanka.”

“ An 80-member National Disaster Response Force contingent arrived simultaneously and conducted rescue and relief operations. The Indian Army set up a field hospital with 85 medical personnel near Kandy, giving emergency care to more than 8000 people. Two modular BHISHM emergency care units were also air lifted to Sri Lanka and utilized.”

“Given the scale of damage, restoring connectivity was clearly an immediate priority, and this was in fact discussed between His Excellency President Dissanayake and Prime Minister Modi in their telephone call. A large number of Army Engineers erected a Bailey bridge transported by C-17 aircraft at Killinochchi, which Minister Herath referred to earlier in his remarks. One more Bailey bridge at Chilaw is currently under construction.

“Overall, Operation Sagar Bandhu delivered over 1100 tons of relief material, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, essential clothing and water purification kits. About 14.5 tons of medicines and medical equipment were also provided. Yet another 60 tons of equipment was brought to Sri Lanka to assist the relief operations.”

“Recognising the urgency of rebuilding, Prime Minister Modi directed that we now engage with the Sri Lankan Government to address their priorities in that regard. The assistance package that we have proposed is worth USD 450 million. It will include USD 350 million in concessional Lines of Credit and USD 100 million of grants. This package is being finalized in close consultations with the Government of Sri Lanka.”

“Our assistance will cover sectors worst affected by the cyclone, including: (i) rehabilitation and restoration of road, railway and bridge connectivity; (ii) support for construction of houses fully destroyed and partially damaged; (iii) support for health and education systems, in particular, those that have been damaged by the cyclone; (iv) agriculture, including to address possible shortages in the short and medium term and (v) working towards better disaster response and preparedness,” Jaishankar said.

Speed of Execution Critical

Emphasising quick execution, Jaishankar said – “We are conscious that work towards mitigating the impact of Cyclone Ditwah on the people of Sri Lanka must be done in the quickest time possible. We are discussing an effective coordination mechanism for earliest possible delivery.”

India Promise FDI

Jaishankar further said – “You are a significant tourism economy and Minister, let me assure you, that we will continue to encourage tourism traffic from India in that regard. Similarly, an increase in Foreign Direct Investment from India can also boost your economy at a critical time. Our discussions will therefore keep in mind promoting a deeper cooperative relationship between our two countries.” .

END