Who decides what ‘Rebuilding’ looks like after Ditwah?

CYCLONE Ditwah’s unforgiving force has claimed hundreds of lives and left entire landscapes unrecognisable. As Sri Lanka grapples with the scale of loss, attention has turned to the architecture of its recovery effort, and to questions about whether that architecture is fit for purpose.

- By Anushka Wijesinha and Stephanie Nicolle

The Management Committee of the 'Rebuilding Sri Lanka' Fund, established by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to assist the country's recovery following Cyclone Ditwah, met on Wednesday (3) morning at the Presidential Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by Labour Minister and Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando (right). From left: Aitken Spence Deputy Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, Brandix CEO Ashroff Omar, Hayleys Group Executive Chairman Mohan Pandithage, Western Province Governor Hanif Yusoof and Senior Additional Secretary to the President G.M.R.D. Aponsu

The Government moved swiftly to establish a ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund’ and a ‘Management Committee’ to assess requirements, set priorities, allocate resources and disburse funds. Public reaction has focused on the committee’s problematic composition: all 11 members are men, and all non-Government seats are held by business personalities with no known expertise in complex national development projects, disaster management, and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations. While their full mandate

remains unclear

(perhaps even to the Committee itself - given the emerging legal ambiguities), they could end up directing recovery spending for a nation where 951,680 women, 362,939 children and more than 320,000 older people are exposed to ongoing flood-related risks.

The magnitude and complexity of the decisions at hand have prompted debate around why inclusive governance must be embedded into the architecture of recovery itself, with key groups and perspectives represented through meaningful decision-making roles. Research on disaster recovery demonstrates that inclusive decision-making produces effective outcomes.

Communities understand their realities better than distant technocrats, and local knowledge is critical when formal systems break down.