🚨 UNDP Urges International Support for Sri Lanka's Post-Ditwah Recovery 🚨

The UNDP is calling on international partners for urgent, affordable financing and innovative instruments to help Sri Lanka recover from Cyclone Ditwah, warning the nation cannot absorb more debt after its economic crisis. • Cyclone Ditwah flooded 1.1 million hectares (~20% of Sri Lanka's land) and exposed 2.3 million people to severe flooding, triggering nearly 1,200 landslides. • Major Impact: • Nearly 720,000 buildings (including 243 hospitals, hundreds of schools) exposed to floodwaters. • Over 16,000 km of roads and 480 bridges affected, along with 278 km of railway lines and 35 rail bridges. • Generated over 240,000 tons of non-construction waste and 60,000 cubic metres of construction debris. • Agricultural losses are significant, with over 530,000 hectares of paddy land flooded, heightening food insecurity in several districts where 20-30% of households lack dry food stocks. • High-need regions include Puttalam, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, central highlands, and parts of the North and East, where pre-existing vulnerabilities compound the disaster's effects. • UNDP's early recovery priorities include debris clearance, rehabilitating community infrastructure, supporting MSMEs and household income generation, and replacing lost civil/financial documentation. International support is crucial to stabilize livelihoods and ensure recovery without deepening Sri Lanka's debt burden.