December 11, Colombo (LNW): The Ministry of Finance has begun an extensive effort to catalogue the destruction left in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, with officials saying the initiative will help guide the country’s long-term recovery.
According to Dr Harshana Suriyapperuma, the Ministry’s Secretary, a nationwide data-gathering exercise is now under way to document losses suffered by businesses and properties. The work is being carried out in tandem with local administrative offices and a number of state bodies.
Teams have already been dispatched to the worst-hit communities to obtain detailed, on-site assessments. Dr Suriyapperuma noted that new digital tools would streamline the reporting process, allowing information to reach government planners far more swiftly than in past disaster responses.
An information platform created freely by MillenniumIT ESP—with technical backing from Microsoft—is being rolled out to support this accelerated approach. Officials said the system will form the backbone of the reconstruction strategy over the coming months.
Sri Lanka has also seen a steady inflow of support from abroad. Dr Suriyapperuma highlighted that both financial pledges and material assistance have arrived from a host of partner nations. Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Maldives, the United States, Nepal, Switzerland, Canada, Ireland, and Korea, along with global institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, and Asian Development Bank, have reportedly signalled readiness to assist the country’s rebuilding efforts.
In the immediate aftermath of the cyclone, India and Pakistan were among the first to rush supplies, while additional relief—from food essentials to medical items—has since been delivered by the Maldives, Australia, Bangladesh, the UAE, Switzerland, and Qatar. Officials say more contributions are expected as Sri Lanka moves from emergency response to long-term rehabilitation.
