Sri Lanka Cyclone Ditwah Disaster 

🔹 What Happened?

• Severe incessant rainfall + strong winds due to Cyclone Ditwah

• Cyclone moving north/northwest toward the Tamil Nadu coast

• Nearly 100 deaths & dozens missing (as of Friday evening)

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🔹 Extent of Impact

Parameter	Data
Affected districts	20 out of 25
Affected families	60,000+
Affected population	200,000+
National alert status	Island-wide Red Alert

➡️ One of Sri Lanka’s worst rainfall events in recent years

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🔹 Most Affected Regions

• East Coast: Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee

• Central Province: Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Matale

• Uva Province: Badulla

• Hill country labour communities were severely hit

  • Includes vulnerable Malaiyaha Tamil estate workers

Impacts

• Heavy flooding, roads cut off

• Hill routes are dangerous & inaccessible

• Reports of:

  • Vehicles washed away

  • Families stranded on rooftops

  • Emergency rescue delays

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🔹 Government Response

Action	Detail
Leadership	President urged MPs to support local relief operations
Compensation	LKR 1 million (~₹2.9 lakh) to the families of the deceased
Tourism	Instructions to ensure facilities for stranded tourists
Transport	Flight disruptions reported
Public Safety	Schools closed & govt holiday for non-essential departments

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🔹 Broader Concerns

• Reservoirs nearing capacity → flood warnings in southern districts

• Disaster response infrastructure is strained

• Vulnerability of low-income communities in hilly terrain

  • Lack of resilient housing

  • Access issues → delayed rescue

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🔍 UPSC Relevance

📍Prelims Pointers

• Cyclone Ditwah in the Bay of Bengal

• Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands are vulnerable to landslides

• Rainfall-induced disasters > wind damage in inland regions

Possible MCQ

Which of the following areas in Sri Lanka were most impacted by Cyclone Ditwah?

1. Batticaloa

2. Kandy

3. Colombo

4. Badulla
   Correct Answer: 1,2,4

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📍Mains Answer Pointers (Disaster Management)

• Importance of:

  • Early warning systems

  • Urban drainage planning

  • Hill-region settlement planning

  • Climate-resilient infrastructure

• Socio-economic vulnerability dimension (estate workers)

Use value-add lines:

“Cyclone Ditwah underscores increasing rainfall-extreme events in the Indian Ocean region driven by climate variability.”

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🔺 Potential India Link (next step for UPSC answer)

• Cyclone moving toward the Tamil Nadu coast

• Need for:

  • IMD coordination with the Sri Lankan Govt

  • Preparedness in coastal districts: Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Chennai

  • Fisheries advisories in the Bay of Bengal

(We will update once the official Indian response is reported.)