COLOMBO: Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka last month, caused an estimated US$4.1 billion in direct physical damage to buildings, agriculture and critical infrastructure, according to a World Bank report released on Monday (Dec 22).
The storm killed more than 640 people and affected over 10 per cent of the island’s population, with floods and landslides leaving widespread destruction across the South Asian nation. The World Bank said the damage amounted to roughly 4 per cent of Sri Lanka’s gross domestic product.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOUSING HIT HARDEST
Infrastructure suffered the largest losses, with damage to roads, bridges, railways and water supply networks estimated at US$1.735 billion, the World Bank said in its Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report.
Housing damage was valued at about US$985 million, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total estimated losses.
Other buildings, including schools, health facilities, businesses and large industrial sites located along major rivers and waterways, were also heavily affected, with damages estimated at US$562 million.
The World Bank stressed that its assessment covered only direct physical damage and did not include broader economic losses such as lost income or production, nor the full cost of recovery and reconstruction.
Source: CNA
