Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka in late November, has caused an estimated $4.1 billion in direct physical damage to buildings, agriculture and critical infrastructure, according to the report released today. This equals about 4 percent of Sri Lanka’s GDP. The cyclone, among the most intense and destructive in the country’s recent history, severely affected close to 2 million people and 500,000 families across all 25 districts.
The Central province was hit hardest, with damages in Kandy district estimated at $689 million, mostly from flooding and landslides. Infrastructure—roads, bridges, railways and water networks—accounts for the largest share of damage at $1.735 billion (42 percent), disrupting connectivity and access to markets and services. Residential buildings suffered $985 million in damages, while agriculture took an $814 million hit, including paddy and vegetable crops, livestock and fishing, posing serious risks to food security and rural livelihoods.
The assessment shows how pre-existing vulnerabilities—poverty, limited access to services and climate risks—will worsen the cyclone’s impacts and slow recovery, especially for women, children, older persons and female-headed households.
“In Badulla, Kegalle and Puttalam many households were already poor and now face some of the highest losses to homes,” said Gevorg Sargsyan, World Bank Group Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives. “In Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, about two in four households are headed by women or older persons. These realities underscore the need for tailored community-centered recovery efforts that protect those most at risk.”
The World Bank’s (WB) Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report estimates direct economic damage to physical assets but does not include losses related to income or production, nor the full costs of recovery and reconstruction. Recovery and reconstruction needs are expected to significantly exceed these figures.
The World Bank Group has mobilized up to $120 million from ongoing projects to support recovery and restore basic services and infrastructure—including healthcare, water, education, agriculture and connectivity—in the hardest-hit areas.
