UNDP assessment paints a frightening picture in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah

Areas flooded 1.1 hectares Population exposed 2.3 mn Landslides recorded 1.2 k Buildings exposed 919 k

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The UNDP has estimated that almost 720 thousand buildings were exposed to cyclone-related flooding across Sri Lanka.

According to UNDP analysis, this includes 243 hospitals (as estimated by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health) and hundreds of educational facilities. Overall, about 1 in every 12 buildings in Sri Lanka was exposed to flooding during Cyclone Ditwah, the UNDP stated.

At the level of divisional secretariats, Ja-Ela in the Gampaha district recorded the highest number of affected buildings with more than 44 thousand structures exposed. Kolonnawa and Kaduwela in the Colombo District as well as Katana and Wattala in the Gampaha District also recorded over 35 thousand exposed buildings each, according to the UNDP.

The flooding was so severe Cyclone Ditwah resulted in 1.1 million hectares of flooding across Sri Lanka - equal to about 20% of Sri Lanka's land mass, the UN agency stated.

Based on the Department of Surveys' 2024 national road dataset, the UNDP analysis estimated that more than 16 thousand kilometers of roads were exposed to flooding across the country, enough to circle Sri Lanka's coastline 12 times over. The cyclone has also exposed over 480 road bridges nationwide.