Special attention should be given at the district level to expedite the payment of compensation for those affected by the Cyclone Ditwah and to accelerate reconstruction work, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated.

The Prime Minister also noted that all necessary allocations have already been made to the Provincial Councils, and instructed that progress on disaster damages and reconstruction should be closely monitored at the provincial level.

The Prime Minister made these remarks during a discussion held today (21) at Temple Trees under her patronage, aimed at informing Regional Coordination Committee Chairpersons and public representatives from disaster-affected districts, in order to speed up activities under the “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” program.

The discussion was held with the objective of accelerating disaster relief and compensation payments, as well as the rapid restoration of infrastructure damaged by the disaster, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.

It was revealed that Rs. 500 billion has been allocated for damages caused by the Cyclone Ditwah, and the Prime Minister instructed that all related development work must be completed before the end of 2026. She also emphasized the need to pay special attention to local-level issues causing delays in compensation payments.

Meanwhile, the Senior Additional Secretary to the President, G.M.R.D. Aponsu stated that the estimated cost for reconstruction following the Cyclone Ditwah is approximately USD 3.4 billion. Accordingly, funds have been allocated to provide compensation across multiple sectors including housing and social infrastructure, agriculture and livestock, fisheries, industries and livelihoods and irrigation.

He further noted that 99% of the Rs. 25,000 allowance payments have been completed and 95% of the Rs. 50,000 resettlement allowance payments have also been completed.

Compensation payments for fully and partially damaged houses are still ongoing the Senior Additional Secretary confirmed.

Additionally, attention was given to several matters including: providing Rs. 25,000 to affected school students; paying Rs. 1 million as compensation per deceased person; compensating children who lost one or both parents; compensating persons with special needs affected by the disaster; compensating for agricultural damages; accelerating resettlement of displaced persons; allocating land for new housing and expediting the acquisition of reports from the National Building Research Organisation.

Attention was also given to the reconstruction of affected schools, hospitals and daycare centers, improving the accuracy and speed of data collection at the local level, and the rapid development of infrastructure, the Office of the Prime Minister added.