UNDP stresses rapid financing for Sri Lanka for post-Ditwah recovery

COLOMBO: Flagging widespread economic fallout following the disastrous Cyclone Ditwah, the UNDP on Wednesday called for support to restore

infrastructure and livelihoods, particularly for informal workers, and highlighted the urgency of accessible financing for the most vulnerable.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assessment, released here, also called for strengthening the climate and disaster resilience of enterprises and industries as the country transitions from emergency relief to recovery and reconstruction.

In the country’s deadliest disaster since the 2004 tsunami, more than 600 people died in rains, floods and landslides as Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka on November 26. An initial assessment had estimated that floodwaters inundated nearly 20 per cent of the country’s land area.

Building on that analysis, the qualitative assessment findings released on Wednesday pointed to deep and widespread recovery needs, with many communities lacking the materials, labour, and financing required to rebuild, the report says.