Hiru News

Cyclone Ditwah caused extensive physical destruction across all 25 districts of Sri Lanka after striking the island in late November 2025. This assessment, conducted by the World Bank using the Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) methodology, estimates the direct physical damage at approximately 4% of the country’s GDP. The disaster affected nearly 2 million people and 500,000 families, marking it as one of the most destructive events in the nation’s recent history.

Key Damage Statistics

• Total Direct Damage: US$ 4.1 billion.
• Hardest Hit Districts: Kandy leads with US$ 689 million in losses, followed by Puttalam (US$ 486 million) and Badulla (US$ 379 million).
• Affected Population: Approximately 2 million individuals and 500,000 families.

Sector-Specific Impacts

• Infrastructure (US$ 1.735 billion): Representing 42% of total damage, the cyclone severely impacted roads, bridges, railways, power networks, and telecommunications.
• Housing (US$ 985 million): Accounting for 24% of losses, the highest housing destruction occurred in Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Kegalle, and Puttalam.
• Agriculture and Fisheries (US$ 814 million): Significant destruction to rice paddies, vegetable crops, and livestock threatens to increase rural poverty and food insecurity.
• Non-residential Buildings (US$ 562 million): Schools, hospitals, and industrial factories faced heavy damage, particularly those near major rivers.

Recovery and Methodology

The World Bank mobilised up to US$ 120 million from existing projects to prioritise the restoration of essential services like healthcare, water, and connectivity. The GRADE methodology used for this report provides rapid, remote damage estimates within two weeks of a disaster to guide emergency financing. While the current estimate focuses on physical assets, the total economic impact is expected to rise significantly once indirect losses and “build back better” reconstruction costs are factored in.