Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has instructed that all reconstruction work following Cyclone Ditwah must be completed before the end of 2026, and has directed officials to expedite delayed compensation payments at the district level.
The Prime Minister chaired a review meeting at Temple Trees on Monday under the “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” programme, attended by Regional Coordination Committee chairpersons and public representatives from disaster-affected districts. The government has allocated Rs. 500 billion for damages caused by the November 2025 cyclone.
Senior Additional Secretary to the President G.M.R.D. Aponsu told the meeting that the estimated total reconstruction cost is approximately USD 3.4 billion. Funds have been earmarked across multiple sectors, including housing and social infrastructure, agriculture and livestock, fisheries, industries and livelihoods, and irrigation.
Payments have advanced unevenly. Aponsu confirmed that 99% of the initial Rs. 25,000 allowance payments and 95% of the Rs. 50,000 resettlement allowance payments have been completed. Compensation for fully and partially damaged houses remains ongoing. The Prime Minister emphasised the need to address local-level bottlenecks causing delays.
Additional support measures discussed included Rs. 25,000 per affected school student, Rs. 1 million compensation per deceased person, and dedicated support for children who lost one or both parents and persons with special needs. Officials also reviewed the reconstruction of damaged schools, hospitals and daycare centres, the acquisition of reports from the National Building Research Organisation, and the allocation of new housing land.
Provincial Councils have received the necessary allocations, and the Prime Minister instructed that progress on damage assessment and reconstruction be monitored at the provincial level. Data collection accuracy and speed at the local level were flagged as priorities.
The year-end deadline intensifies pressure on a recovery effort that has faced funding gaps flagged by OCHA and compensation prioritisation disputes at NBRO. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake spent Avurudu in his rebuilt home to mark progress on the programme.
