By: Staff Writer

December 09, Colombo (LNW): Cyclone Ditwah exposed not just the fragility of Sri Lanka’s infrastructure but the fragility of its foreign policy footing. As floodwaters rose, so did the visibility of India and China two rivals whose disaster assistance carries implications far beyond humanitarian goodwill.

India’s Operation Sagar Bandhu rolled out with unmistakable force: 53 tonnes of supplies, multiple military aircraft, naval ships, helicopter sorties, medical units, and National Disaster Response Force (India) NDRF rescue specialists operating on Sri Lankan soil.

The mission’s scale and speed far exceeded that of any other foreign partner, reinforcing New Delhi’s decades-long campaign to position itself as the Indian Ocean’s immediate responder. For India, the message was clear: depend on us when lives are at stake.

China’s involvement, though smaller during the emergency phase, followed its usual economic-first template. The US$100,000 Red Cross donation and local embassy-driven charity drives are only the opening act.

Beijing is expected to step in during the reconstruction phase where its influence is strongest through large-scale financing and project-led interventions. In other words: depend on us when rebuilding the future.

This creates a dangerous split in Sri Lanka’s vulnerability profile. India dominates emergency response; China dominates long-term finance. In between stands a struggling country trying not to mortgage its sovereignty to either.

The risk is that Sri Lanka, weakened by economic upheaval and climate shocks, becomes a site where disaster relief evolves into strategic leverage. Rescue missions build trust. Reconstruction loans build influence. If left unmanaged, both can quietly shape national decisions for years.
The government must now adopt a transparent, multi-source reconstruction strategy that limits exposure to single-country dependency. Projects must undergo resilience assessment, community consultation, and open tendering. Any bilateral financing whether from India, China, or elsewhere should be subject to parliamentary scrutiny and public reporting

Bishop of Kandy Diocese Rt. Rev. Dr. Valence Mendis delivered a powerful message of solidarity and compassion at “Sounds of the Season,” an evening of harmony and reflection organised by Union Bank together with Port City and the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID), in support of communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah.

He said: “When the Organising Committee first met, there was serious debate about cancelling the event in light of the recent tragedy. After thoughtful reflection, the decision was unanimous: the right path forward was not to step back, but to step up. The concert was therefore transformed into a purposeful gathering of remembrance and compassion. The evening focused not on celebration, but on honouring those who lost their lives, supporting those who were injured, and standing in solidarity with children who have lost their parents and now face an uncertain future.”

He concluded by thanking those present for standing with the children and families affected by Cyclone Ditwah and for helping restore hope where it is needed most. The Soul Sounds Academy choirs, the Union Bank choir, and guest performers Alston Koch and the De Lanerolle Brothers created an atmosphere of hope and solidarity throughout the evening.

Source: DailyFT

December 09, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka received advance notice of Cyclone Ditwah long before it unleashed severe destruction across the island, with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said to have begun sharing data nearly two weeks ahead of the storm’s landfall, Indian media reports claim.

According to The Indian Express, the IMD had identified the likelihood of a developing weather system as early as November 13 and later issued an advisory on potential cyclonic activity on November 20.

From November 23 onwards, the department reportedly released detailed three-hourly and six-hourly updates on the system’s strengthening trajectory, much of which was passed to Sri Lankan officials through regular communication channels.

Despite the early flow of information, Sri Lanka was unable to respond on a scale that matched the magnitude of the disaster, the report suggested. It noted that the country lacks a comprehensive evacuation framework capable of moving vast populations with little notice.

The heavy rainfall — reaching around 400 millimetres within a day and repeating over several days — coupled with the geography of the eastern coast, produced catastrophic flooding, landslides, and coastal surge.

The analysis also pointed out that the storm formed in an uncommon zone south of Sri Lanka, an area not typically associated with cyclone development. Unlike India, which experiences such systems more frequently, Sri Lanka’s limited exposure meant it was less equipped for the storm’s prolonged coastal path, which skirted the shoreline rather than cutting across the island’s interior.

IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra explained that Ditwah was categorised only as a “cyclonic storm,” one of the milder grades on the cyclone scale, and that Sri Lanka historically experiences very few such events.

Sri Lanka’s Health Minister and Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa, however, dismissed accusations that authorities had prior knowledge of the cyclone’s intensity. His comments followed criticism by the opposition over the timing of reservoir gate operations, with some alleging that delayed action worsened the flooding.

December 09, Colombo (LNW): The Ministry of Education is preparing to release a fresh circular today outlining how state schools affected by the recent spell of extreme weather will resume academic activities.

According to the Ministry’s Secretary, Nalaka Kaluwewa, the reopening process will be organised province by province to account for differing levels of disruption and to allow regional officials the flexibility to address local needs.

He noted that the current plan is to have schools back in operation from December 16, provided that safety assessments and essential repairs are completed in time.

Kaluwewa added that education officials have been working closely with provincial administrations over the past few days to ensure that school premises are cleared, facilities restored, and transport arrangements adjusted where necessary.

In a separate announcement, Commissioner General of Examinations Indika Liyanage confirmed that the postponed components of the GCE Advanced Level Examination will be held as early as possible in January.

He stated that the Department of Examinations intends to finalise the schedule shortly, giving candidates adequate notice while ensuring examination centres are fully prepared following the adverse weather.

December 09, Colombo (LNW): The national disaster management committee appointed by the President is set to reconvene tomorrow (10) for the second day running, as authorities work to streamline the flow of international assistance reaching those hit hardest by the recent catastrophe.

The eight-member body, led by Deputy Defence Minister and retired Major General Aruna Jayasekara, has been tasked with overseeing how foreign aid is received, organised, and distributed. Officials say the committee’s mandate is to ensure transparency, efficiency, and proper oversight as donations continue to arrive from abroad.

Deputy Minister Jayasekara noted that both the public and diplomatic representatives will soon be briefed on the formal procedures for channelling relief items. He stressed that the Ministry of Defence would provide guidance throughout the process to avoid irregularities and ensure that supplies reach those in genuine need without unnecessary delays or waste.

The committee is working closely with the Disaster Management Centre and the National Disaster Relief Services Centre, with both agencies feeding in operational support and field-level information. According to Jayasekara, distribution will proceed strictly on the basis of verified requests from Divisional and District Secretariats, as well as reports submitted by Grama Niladhari Officers in affected communities.

Authorities say the renewed meeting is intended to fine-tune coordination mechanisms as the scale of assistance grows, ensuring that relief efforts remain orderly, accountable, and responsive to local realities.

December 09, Colombo (LNW): A new assessment by the United Nations Development Programme has painted a stark picture of the havoc Cyclone Ditwah unleashed across Sri Lanka, indicating that millions of people were caught within the cyclone’s flood zone and vast swathes of the island were submerged.

According to the geospatial review, roughly 2.3 million residents — a majority of them women — were living in areas inundated when the cyclone made landfall on November 28. Analysts estimate that more than 1.1 million hectares, close to a fifth of the country’s total landmass, were affected by floodwaters that damaged homes, disrupted public services, and battered key infrastructure.

Officials noted that the findings, based partly on disaster-response data provided by the Sri Lankan authorities, confirm what many communities have already experienced first-hand: Ditwah ranks among the most severe flooding events to strike the island in decades.

Alarmingly, more than half of those residing in the affected regions were already dealing with economic instability, debt burdens, or limited means to withstand natural disasters — conditions that can turn a climate shock into a prolonged crisis.

The UNDP report also highlights that nearly 720,000 buildings were touched by the floodwaters — approximately one in every twelve structures nationwide. Over 16,000 kilometres of roads, along with several hundred railway lines and bridges, were situated in areas swamped by the deluge, significantly hampering travel and relief logistics. In the hill country, close to 1,200 landslides were triggered, further isolating vulnerable communities and delaying access to medical care and rescue teams.

Azusa Kubota, the UNDP’s Resident Representative in Sri Lanka, emphasised that the cyclone struck a nation still recovering from years of economic strain. The exposed population includes more than a million women, over half a million children, and a quarter of a million older people, with the districts of Colombo and Gampaha carrying a disproportionate share of the impact. Such concentration of need, Kubota warned, has placed extraordinary pressure on essential public services.

Where high vulnerability and severe flooding intersect, recovery is expected to be particularly challenging. Devanand Ramiah, who leads crisis readiness and response at the UNDP’s Crisis Bureau, described the event as a demonstration of how quickly cascading crises can unfold in fragile settings.

Working alongside government agencies, the UNDP is urging donors and international partners to scale up early recovery assistance. This includes restoring damaged infrastructure, helping affected families regain stability, and strengthening local systems to withstand future climate-related shocks. Kubota noted that Sri Lanka, already burdened by debt, cannot finance reconstruction alone and requires accessible funding mechanisms to rebuild sustainably and avoid further economic distress.

The organisation stressed that while immediate relief is under way, the broader effort to rebuild more resiliently will be a long-term undertaking, requiring both domestic commitment and sustained external support.

Full Report: https://geosmart.undp.org/arcgis/apps/storymaps/stories/25866fbc805c4d70b6bf35c23f896daf