People ride on a boat belonging to Sri Lanka's army at a flooded street after heavy rainfall in Wellampitiya on the outskirts of Colombo on November 30, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP)
Colombo: Sri Lanka is moving ahead with plans to build housing complexes for families who lost their homes due to Cyclone Ditwah, a government minister announced on Monday.
Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply, Susil Ranasinghe, said more than 6,000 houses were destroyed by the cyclone, while close to 100,000 houses suffered partial damage.
In addition, some areas remain unsafe or uninhabitable even where houses were not directly damaged, he said.
Ranasinghe said the Presidential Secretariat is providing the necessary funding, and that the government aims to restore the lives of affected families within a short period and to relocate people living in high-risk areas to safer regions to reduce future disaster risks.
He added that the resettlement program is part of a broader effort to ensure long-term safety and stability for communities affected by the natural disasters in Sri Lanka.
On Dec. 19, Sri Lankan parliament passed a 1.6-billion-USD supplementary estimate to compensate the victims of Cyclone Ditwah, and to rebuild infrastructure and livelihoods.
