Sri Lanka Faces Humanitarian Crisis as Flood Death Toll Rises

Torrential rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah have devastated Sri Lanka, leading to a rising death toll currently at 123, with another 130 individuals reported missing. According to the Disaster Management Centre, or DMC, relief operations are in progress, having relocated 43,995 people to state-run welfare centers after their homes were destroyed amidst a week of heavy rainfall.

The cyclone made landfall on Wednesday, intensifying the already severe weather conditions across the island. The situation has prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders for residents living along the banks of the Kelani River, which overflowed, forcing hundreds to seek refuge in temporary shelters.

While heavy rains have subsided in most areas, conditions remain precarious in northern regions, where residual showers continue. The DMC reported that some areas have experienced up to 360 millimeters of rain in just 24 hours, exacerbating the flooding crisis.

The armed forces have been deployed to assist in rescue efforts, utilizing military helicopters and boats to evacuate stranded residents, some of whom have found themselves perched in trees or on rooftops.

Reports indicate that at least 3,000 homes have been damaged due to mudslides and flooding, with over 18,000 individuals displaced. Notably, the death toll has climbed as authorities recover more bodies from the hardest-hit central regions, where victims have tragically been buried alive by mudslides.

Eyewitness accounts reflect the gravity of the situation; VSA Ratnayake, a resident of Kaduwela near Colombo, described this flooding as potentially the worst in three decades, recalling a similar disaster in the 1990s.

Additional comments from Kalyani, also from Kaduwela, reveal the community's resilience as she shelters two families affected by the floods. Earlier in the week, a helicopter from the Anuradhapura district was dispatched to rescue a man who had climbed a coconut tree to escape the rising waters.

In response to the crisis, India has swiftly sent a planeload of supplies for the victims, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing condolences and readiness to provide further assistance. The DMC anticipates that the flood levels could surpass those of the catastrophic floods in 2016, which resulted in 71 fatalities across the country.

This current weather-related toll marks the highest since June last year, when heavy rains claimed 26 lives. The heavy rainfall during this northeast monsoon season has been exacerbated by climate change, leading experts to warn of more frequent and severe flooding in the future.

Sri Lanka’s dependence on seasonal monsoon rains for irrigation and hydroelectricity complicates the humanitarian response, as the nation grapples with the immediate impacts of the disaster while facing longer-term climate challenges.