Cyclone Ditwah Will Cost Sri Lanka Up To $6-7 Bn, About 5% Of GDP
Sri Lanka faces severe infrastructure damage, supply disruptions and widespread displacement as recovery measures begin
Sri Lanka’s economic loss from Cyclone Ditwah is estimated at between USD 6 billion and 7 billion, accounting for about 3 to 5 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. The disaster has resulted in 465 deaths, while 366 people remain missing, as the country deals with flooding, landslides and widespread infrastructure collapse that has left several districts isolated.
More than 1.4 million people have been affected, with over 233,000 sheltering in 1,441 relief centres. All 25 districts have reported damage.
Officials said that new legal provisions would be needed to speed up post-disaster processes. Current laws require a six-month wait for issuing death certificates, and changes are expected to shorten the period.
The government has also decided to temporarily allow the import of frozen vegetables, as major vegetable-producing areas in the central hilly districts have been devastated by landslides and floods.
Kandy has reported the highest number of deaths at 118, followed by Nuwara Eliya with 89 and Badulla with 83.
The allowance for house cleaning for affected families has been raised from LKR 10,000 to LKR 25,000 and will be provided without ownership verification.
According to the Disaster Management Centre, 783 homes have been destroyed and 31,417 partially damaged as of Tuesday.
Telecommunications authorities expect all disrupted services to be restored by Thursday. More than 4,000 communication towers went offline during the disaster, and about 2,800 have already been restored.
