The massive death and destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah has thrown up economic turmoil and humanitarian challenges. And now a small island nation that has already dealt with its share of catastrophes may also have to appeal to multilateral institutions for help – and to renegotiate the terms of debt repayments.
By Uditha Devapriya / Sapan News
COLOMBO: Nearly a week since Cyclone Ditwah made landfall in Sri Lanka on 27 November, more than 400 people have died in the havoc and destruction it wreaked across the island nation.
According to the United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka nearly 1.5 million people across all 25 districts have been severely impacted.
No part of the country has been spared. Everything came to a standstill: electricity, water, transport, and communications, rendering entire parts of the country inaccessible.
The latest situation report released on 3 December put the death toll at 474, with 356 missing. More than 200,000 are sheltering in some 1,300 government-run safety centres.
Swept away
The humanitarian cost has only been equalled by the economic and infrastructural damage across the country. Entire villages, bridges, educational institutions and businesses have been swept away, with the highest number of affected people recorded in four districts – Colombo in the Western Province, Gampaha and Puttalam in the Northwestern Province, and Mannar in the Northern Province, according to the report.
On social media, Sri Lankans, many with little to call their own in the first place, are sharing images of houses, refrigerators and vehicles swept away by landslides and floods. Many are stepping up to help out.
Citizens step up for relief efforts.
Cyclone Ditwah is also a financial catastrophe for Sri Lanka. Infrastructure damage is estimated at USD 4 billion and could climb to USD 7 billion. To put this in perspective, the Sri Lankan government targets a total of USD 7 billion for its foreign reserves at the end 2025.
In April 2022, Sri Lanka defaulted on its sovereign debt and officially entered a period of negotiations with multilateral financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund over debt restructuring.
This year, the Sri Lankan government, led by the National People’s Power Alliance, achieved fiscal and revenue milestones, including record tax revenues and unprecedented foreign reserves.
In 2022, Sri Lanka was on its way to achieving fiscal sustainability. Yet now, with money required for infrastructure development and renovation. Sri Lanka may have to engage in fresh negotiations with multilateral institutions, either to gain international assistance or to renegotiate the terms of debt repayments.
To mobilize financial contributions for relief operations, the government launched an official donation portal, ‘Stand with Sri Lanka.’ China, Australia, the USA, Japan, and New Zealand have pledged assistance, alongside on-the-ground support from India and Pakistan, according to the Office of the Resident Coordinator Sri Lanka.
Uncertain future
Yet questions remain about whether Sri Lanka is ready to confront the challenges that will inevitably arise over the next few months. Cultivated farmland was completely swamped by landslides and mud. To ease fears of food insecurity, the government announced an initial grant of LKR 10,000 (USD 32.00) per affected household to restore sanitation and make homes safe until further assistance arrives, according to the Office of the Resident Coordinator Sri Lanka.
Debris-covered train tracks in Badulla, Sri Lanka. Photo: Ceylora Travels via Facebook. Used with permission. 
Roads and neighborhoods turned into rivers. Photo: Sri Lanka Canada Association of Ottawa via Facebook. Used with permission. 
Countryside aerial view of flooding caused by the cyclone. Photo: Sri Lanka Canada Association of Ottawa via Facebook. Used with permission. 
Roads turned into rivers running by submerged homes flooded by Cyclone Ditwah. Photo: Sri Lanka Canada Association of Ottawa via Facebook. Used with permission.
What is clear is that no one could have predicted with complete accuracy the level of destruction caused by the cyclone as Sri Lanka looks to an uncertain future. People here remain mindful of the many crises we have encountered since 2019, from the Easter attacks to the Covid 19 pandemic, to the economic crisis of 2022. It has been one long roller coaster ride for this little island nation.
And now, the country’s economic prospects seem to have been swept away by torrents of muddy water.
One thing remains clear, however. Sri Lankans remain ever hopeful of a brighter future, even if that future seems too far away and distant for them to reach any time soon.
Uditha Devapriya is an international relations analyst, researcher, and columnist based in Sri Lanka. Email: udakdev1@gmail.com. With additional reporting by Regina Johnson.
Lead image: Houses with red-tiled rooftops visible in this aerial view of Cyclone Ditwah’s destruction. Photo: Ape Badulla via Facebook. Used with permission.
This Sapan News syndicated feature is an updated version of a tribute initially published in the Deccan Herald, India.
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