Sri Lanka is confronting a severe humanitarian and environmental crisis in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall on Friday. Official figures from the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) confirm a tragic toll of 46 fatalities, with an additional 23 individuals reported missing as intensive search and rescue missions continue.
The cyclone’s most devastating impact stemmed from catastrophic landslides, triggered by torrential rainfall that dumped over 300 mm (11.8 inches) of water on the island nation within a 24-hour period. The eastern and central provinces bore the brunt of the destruction. Nationwide, the scale of displacement is significant, with emergency services evacuating nearly 44,000 citizens to public shelters, including schools. In the most severely affected villages, families were left stranded on rooftops, awaiting assistance.
Infrastructure and public life have been severely disrupted. All schools have been shuttered, national train services are suspended, and the Colombo Stock Exchange halted trading early in response to the ongoing severe weather. Brigadier S. Dharmawickrema, Emergency Operations Director at the DMC, outlined the challenges faced by rescue teams, noting that access to some isolated villages remains impossible due to roads blocked by landslides.
The crisis has also impacted international travel. The Sri Lankan government has announced contingency plans to divert flights from the primary Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to airports in South India, such as Trivandrum and Cochin, should conditions deteriorate further. Local media has already reported the diversion of several international flights originating from hubs including Dubai, Muscat, New Delhi, and Bangkok.
With meteorological departments warning that the storm could intensify as it moves across the island, authorities are racing against time to reach all affected populations and mitigate further disaster.