Cyclone Ditwah has caused an estimated USD 4.1 billion (around Rs. 1.3 trillion) in direct physical damage to buildings, agriculture, and critical infrastructure across Sri Lanka, according to the Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report released yesterday by the World Bank Group. This damage is equivalent to nearly 4% of the country’s GDP.
One of the most severe cyclones in Sri Lanka’s recent history, Ditwah affected nearly 2 million people and around 500,000 families across all 25 districts, disrupting livelihoods, essential services, and economic activity nationwide.
The World Bank clarified that the estimate reflects direct physical damage only and does not include income losses, business disruptions, or the full costs of recovery and reconstruction. As a result, the total recovery needs are expected to be significantly higher, particularly if resilient “build back better” measures are adopted.
The GRADE assessment provides timely insights to support emergency response, recovery planning, and long-term disaster risk reduction. It uses a rapid, remote, and model-based methodology to estimate damage to physical assets and does not assess losses related to income or production.
Worst affected Central Provice – Kandy only has USD 689 Million damage
The Central Province was the worst affected, with the Kandy District alone recording damages of about USD 689 million, mainly due to severe flooding and landslides.
Damage to infrastructure including roads, bridges, railways, and water supply systems was the largest, amounting to USD 1.735 billion, or 42% of total damage, severely affecting transport links and access to services.
Residential buildings and household contents suffered losses of approximately USD 985 m
Residential buildings and household contents suffered losses of approximately USD 985 million, highlighting the need for better land-use planning, flood protection, and housing designs resilient to extreme weather.
The agriculture sector sustained an estimated USD 814 million in damage, affecting paddy fields, vegetable crops, maize, livestock, agricultural infrastructure, and inland fisheries. These losses pose serious risks to food security and rural livelihoods, particularly in already vulnerable communities.
Non-residential buildings, including schools, hospitals, businesses, and industrial facilities especially those located along rivers and waterways recorded damages of about USD 562 million, disrupting education, healthcare, and local economies.
The assessment also warns that pre-existing socio-economic vulnerabilities, such as poverty, limited access to services, and high exposure to climate risks, will slow recovery. Women, children, elderly persons, and female-headed households are expected to be disproportionately affected, underscoring the need for targeted and inclusive recovery efforts.
High poverty levels in some districts
World Bank Group Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives, Gevorg Sargsyan, noted that deeply rooted vulnerabilities have intensified the cyclone’s impact. He pointed out that districts such as Badulla, Kegalle, and Puttalam already had high poverty levels and now face major housing losses, while Kandy and Nuwara Eliya have a high proportion of women- and elderly-headed households. Thousands of women and girls remain displaced or living in unsafe conditions.
In response, the World Bank Group has mobilised up to USD 120 million from existing projects to support recovery and restore essential services, including healthcare, water supply, education, agriculture, and transport infrastructure in the most affected areas.
While the GRADE report offers a rapid estimate, the World Bank stressed that recovery and reconstruction costs will far exceed current figures. Comprehensive recovery plans are needed to address humanitarian needs, rebuild livelihoods, strengthen resilient infrastructure, and integrate climate and disaster risk management into future development.
The World Bank acknowledged the leadership of the Government of Sri Lanka and collaboration with the Treasury, National Planning Department, External Resources Department, and Disaster Management Centre in completing the assessment.
Over the past decade, the GRADE approach has supported more than 54 countries, completing 71 post-disaster assessments worldwide with later validations showing about 90% accuracy compared to detailed ground-based studies.
The Sri Lanka GRADE report was conducted and funded by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the Government of Japan, in collaboration with the World Bank’s programme on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management in Developing Countries.
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