Sri Lanka’s parliament will reconvene to approve $1.66 billion in 2026 aid for Cyclone Ditwah recovery, which killed 643 and affected 2.3 million
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s parliament will cut short its recess to urgently approve financial aid for recovery from a devastating cyclone.
The legislature will meet on Thursday following a request from Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, according to Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne.
The session aims to fast-track funding needed to rebuild after Cyclone Ditwah, which officials say killed 643 people.
Another 184 individuals remain missing following the landslides and floods triggered by the storm.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said last week the nation needs at least $1.66 billion in 2026 for recovery.
He described the cyclone as the “most challenging natural disaster” to hit the country.
The government has also committed to spending $166 million on recovery efforts this year.
Official figures show the disaster affected at least 2.3 million people, over 10% of the population.
Nearly 75,000 people remain housed in state-run relief camps.
An official leading the recovery effort estimated total damage could reach $7 billion.
The United Nations has established a $35.3 million fund for immediate humanitarian aid.
This fund will provide food and temporary shelter to 658,000 of the worst-affected people.
UN envoy Marc-Andre Franche said $9.5 million has been secured from donors including the EU, Switzerland, Britain, and the US.
He urged the international community to help raise the remaining $25.8 million.
Franche noted that a quarter of Sri Lanka’s population was living in poverty when the cyclone struck.
The nation is also recovering from its worst-ever financial crisis, having defaulted on $46 billion of external debt in 2022.
It secured a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund in early 2023. – AFP
