India to Provide $450 Mn Aid for Sri Lanka After Cyclone Ditwah Under Operation Sagar Bandhu

India to provide an assistance package worth $450mn to Sri Lanka for Cyclone Ditwah relief and repair under its Operation Sagar Bandhu, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said on December 23. The package is expected to include $350mn in a Concessional line of credit and $100mn in grants.

“Just as Sri Lanka was recovering from the economic crisis of 2022, this natural disaster has created new difficulties,” Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to the neighbour island nation, said in remarks made alongside Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.

EAM Jaishankar said the assistance would cover areas worst hit by the cyclone such as the restoration of railway, road and bridge connectivity, as well as rebuilding destroyed houses. The package is being finalised in close consultation with the government of Sri Lanka.

The package would also support the construction of houses fully destroyed and partially damaged. It also aims to support for health and education systems, in particular, those that have been damaged by the cyclone. India’s relief package to Sri Lanka would support agriculture, including addressing possible shortages in the short and medium term.

We are conscious that mitigating the impact of Cyclone Ditwah on the people of Sri Lanka must be done in the quickest time possible, Jaishankar said.

So far, India has delivered 1100 tonnes of relief material and about 14.5 tonnes of medicines and medical equipment under Operation Sagar Bandhu.

Recognising the urgency of rebuilding, PM Modi directed that we now engage with the Sri Lankan government to address their priority in that regard, Jaishankar said.

EAM further assured that India will continue to encourage tourism traffic from India. An increase in foreign direct investment from India can also boost your economy at a critical time, he said in his address.

Disaster Takes a Toll

According to a report published by Mongabay on December 15, Sri Lanka is reeling under the worst impact of Cyclone Ditwah that recorded at least 640 deaths—highest number of deaths due to cyclone—with another 221 persons still missing, according to the island’s Disaster Management Center (DMC).

While initial assessments indicate uprooted canopy trees, buried understory vegetation and sediment-choked streams, disrupting habitats for endemic plants, amphibians and forest mammals, Wijesingha tell told Mongabay. He further noted that it will take some time to study and assess the scale of destruction.

However, the report indicated that unplanned development and clearing forest patches in ecologically sensitive areas have exacerbated the disaster. Numerous buildings constructed on unstable slopes and within river reservations have collapsed, recording significant infrastructure damage.