• Buildings in high-risk landslide-prone zones a systemic problem

The day Cyclone Ditwah made landfall in Sri Lanka, it extracted a toll that is still unfolding, with numbers of missing and dead continuing to climb with each official accounting.

As floodwaters slowly recede and Sri Lanka assesses the damage caused in the aftermath of the destructive path of the cyclone, it has left behind a nation struggling to wrest some control in the midst of chaos, with questions of State accountability, disaster preparedness, economic inequality, and climate change shaping the narrative, even as eyewitness accounts reveal experiences on the ground defined by horror and dread.

The Sunday Morning spoke to communities and Local Government officials in the midst of some of the hardest-hit areas, who had braved the storm as it broke across the island.

The first major incidents took place in the central hills following four days of torrential rains. Widespread power outages and the collapse of primary communication networks – caused by mobile telecommunication tower failures as well as fixed line breakages – further hampered early warning dissemination, making it difficult to contact the nearest Police stations to report the unfolding disaster.

Kandy faced a dual catastrophe: the Mahaweli River swelled to major flood levels, while the saturated soil in landslide-prone areas gave way, triggering earthslips that buried households and their occupants in seconds.

On 27 November, the Mahaweli River rose to major flood levels, prompting residents along its banks to evacuate.

“My grandchild had wandered outside and was playing in the floodwater that had reached our garden. I rushed out to fetch him and noticed the water level rising rapidly as the rains continued to batter down. I alerted my family and decided to leave immediately,” recalled Mohamed, a 60-year-old resident of Heerassagala.

Unfortunately, by the time Mohamed had alerted his brother’s family to evacuate, everyone except his sister-in-law had left the house. Mohamed noted that she had run back into the house to gather a few belongings and had been unable to escape in time. Her body was recovered downstream the next day and her final rites were performed immediately.

“We took shelter on the top floor of the nearby mosque. Until aid arrived, I contacted a family I ran errands for to ask for dry rations, baby formula, and clothes. Now that the rains have stopped, we will return to our homes to clean up,” Mohamed added.

As disaster-related incidents peaked on 27 November, even the Peradeniya Police Station itself was flooded, making it difficult to deploy teams to assess the situation. It was during this disruption that officers received a call from the Galoya Hadabima Janapadaya reporting a major earthslip.

Buried in minutes

The Sunday Morning spoke with 42-year-old V.K. Muthukrishnan – or Arul, as he is fondly known in the village – a local resident from the Galoya Hadabima Janapadaya. He recalled that he and his youngest son had turned in earlier than usual that night as torrential rains continued amid a power outage and mobile network blackout. 

“The power had been out since the evening of 26 November, and I wasn’t getting any signal on my phone. My wife works overseas, and my mother and eldest son had gone to my sister’s house in Hanguranketha on that day itself. Only my youngest son and I were at home. Around 7 p.m. on 27 November, my neighbour’s two sons knocked on my door. They told me that the house just below theirs had started to wash away,” he recounted.

Arul’s house stood two houses above the one that had begun to wash away. He had first taken his son from bed and left him at another neighbour’s house for safety, while frantically running from house to house, calling on neighbours to help rescue the affected family. 

“I was met with disappointing refusals at every turn. Knowing I had to act quickly, I reached a house with a fixed-line phone and asked if they could contact the Peradeniya Police to report the landslide. Unfortunately, the phone was not functioning, so I made my way to the closest shop and asked the owner if he could drive me to the Police station, as none of us were able to make calls. However, his wife urged him not to head out in the rain as he was taking medication for the flu.”

After having asked several households for help and realising it was a futile effort, he had glanced at his phone. The sight of a faint signal offered hope, allowing him to finally call the Peradeniya Police Station. The Officer-in-Charge, while thanking him for reporting the incident, delivered the news that the Police station itself was flooded. Only two officers besides him remained on duty, with no way to leave the premises due to the rising waters.

“Moments after the call, I heard a loud cracking noise, and the sky seemed to light up for a split second. I couldn’t believe what I saw – every house below mine, along with half of my own, had been buried by the earth. My first instinct was to check on my son, but fortunately, the neighbour with whom I left him, along with their family, were safe, having evacuated to escape the impending danger.”

Meanwhile, the two men who had first alerted Arul had run towards Sarasavigama to seek help in rescuing the families trapped by the earthslip. Arul noted that about six of them had risked their lives to save the families caught under the sliding earth.

“With no electricity or the proper tools to execute a rescue mission, helping everyone became a huge challenge. Nature won, claiming the lives of families from nine households. From the first house that was affected by the landslide, only one person escaped, while six others were buried along with the house. Three of the boys from Sarasavigama who had rushed to the rescue were also caught in the disaster and lost their lives,” Arul recounted.

According to estimates, the Galoya Hadabima Janapadaya was home to between 250 and 300 families. The houses caught in the landslide were those at the foot of the hill, near the village’s small waterfall.

A closer examination of the Landslide Risk Information Portal maintained by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) indicates that many of the homes destroyed and the resulting loss of life were localised in areas identified as high-risk landslide zones.

Many settlements planned before the 1990s were well-thought-out and are established in areas with minimal landslide risk. For example, Sarasavigama, where landslide victims are currently seeking temporary shelter, was established under the ‘Gam Udawa’ scheme between the 1970s and 1980s. While the area experiences occasional slope failures during heavy rains, the village has not suffered any major landslide incidents to date. Although the news reported landslides in Sarasavigama, these incidents occurred in an area just above the village. 

A time of chaos and panic

Gampola and several surrounding townships situated within the flood zone of the Kotmale Reservoir had been issued evacuation notices in advance, which had helped in minimising the loss of lives. Yet, the residents living closest to the riverbank had scarcely any time to reach higher ground as the water levels rose rapidly.

The opening of the dam’s sluice gates, which unleashed a torrent of water that accelerated the flooding, added to the challenge.

Dananjaya Siriwardena, a father of two, recounted the panic that had swept through Gampola town after authorities issued public announcements urging residents to move to higher ground as the dam approached maximum capacity.

“As residents of Gampola for several generations, we were used to awareness campaigns conducted by local authorities through schools and community centres. Fortunately, most of us knew what to do when such warnings were issued. However, in recent years, new settlements have sprung up within low-lying areas designated as high-risk flood zones should the dam overflow due to heavy rainfall,” he said.

According to Siriwardena, many of the families that had been unable to evacuate in time had suffered losses. While those living near the riverbank had fled towards the city of Gampola, on 28 November, the residents faced a new threat of water from the dam flooding the areas that had previously been considered safe from river flooding.

“When the first siren sounded at the Gampola Railway Station, we prepared to move to higher ground. Even with the dam opening and heavy rainfall, the water was expected to rise to only slightly above the ground floor of a two- or three-storey building in the middle of the city,” Siriwardena explained.

As a few families had begun screaming and fleeing, Siriwardena and a friend had rushed downstairs to urge them to calm down. He had asked where they intended to seek shelter should the water levels rise while they were on the main road.

“I asked them to stay calm and offered them shelter upstairs where we lived. Once upstairs, I explained to them the maximum level the water was expected to rise. But in the chaos, many we knew faced accidents: children fell from the back of double cabs as relatives drove recklessly, and one of my neighbours crashed his motorcycle immediately after heading onto the road.”

While Siriwardena questioned the lack of routine awareness programmes carried out in recent years, he expressed gratitude towards local authorities, the disaster management team, and the Kotmale Dam engineers for issuing the early warnings that helped minimise the loss of life.

Small business owners impacted

Ditwah not only destroyed homes but also wiped out livelihoods. On the road back from Sarasavigama, signs were evident of the floods having displaced the contents of Local Government offices and commercial showrooms onto the streets.

Just past the Peradeniya Police Station, next to the handcraft and handloom industry showrooms, a plant nursery was being carefully restored by a group of women. Sarubima, a women-led collaborative small business, is run by 11 women who have established their premises on land allocated by the Agriculture Department.

“You’re the only person who has stopped to ask what happened. No authority has visited to assess the damages to our inventory,” said Mallika Kumari, a resident of Megoda Kalugamuwa, speaking to our correspondent with a mix of relief and disappointment.

She and four other women had donned personal protective equipment to handle the plants and ensure they did not slip on the sediment left behind by the floods. The women took turns to clean up their business premises, enlisting the help of their husbands and sons to salvage what they could.

They all agreed that the disaster had impacted them both personally and professionally, noting: “Unlike other businesses, we do not have insurance coverage and are not included in the disaster compensation scheme for affected small enterprises. This will definitely impact our livelihoods and reduce our quality of life in the coming months,” said Nayomi Manjula Madushani from Gelioya.

The women added that the disaster would also affect the income of their husbands, who worked as labourers at construction sites. “We have to salvage whatever we can and move on with our lives. But who will come to buy plants when gardens and entire houses have been destroyed by this disaster?” Kumari questioned.

The Sarubima business owners appealed to the Government to be considered for compensation under the flood relief scheme for affected small enterprises, estimating that closing the business would result in a financial loss of around Rs. 4 million.

“We hope at the very least to receive a grace period to pay our loan instalments and utility bills for the business premises,” said Dhammika Sakunthala, a resident of Barigama.

Officials on the ground

For Soranathota Divisional Secretary Nirosha Hennayake and her team of officials, the disaster made for a gruelling journey as they struggled to fulfil their official duties.

“I was caught in three landslides. The military couldn’t reach our area to mount a rescue, and more than 100 vehicles were also stranded with us. We had to stay there for nearly 24 hours, tending to everyone. Only after ensuring their safety did I make it to the office the next morning on foot, navigating the landslide-hit terrain,” she said.

Communications and power had fully collapsed in the wake of the cyclone, a condition which had persisted for several days and is yet to be fully resolved. “Only one person’s phone was working where I was. With no electricity, we had to charge it using a vehicle with great difficulty in order to send the message that we were trapped. Even now, there are still several areas which we haven’t been able to access.”

While official communications had not reached Hennayake’s area, residents had remained vigilant to potential landslides and the necessary precautionary measures. Although no specific warning had been issued, areas identified as vulnerable to landslides had made preparations. However, the suddenness of the disaster had sent landslides from unexpected directions. Even so, Hennayake said that most people had managed to evacuate in time.

“We are currently taking swift steps to clear the roads that remain blocked. Some areas are still inaccessible, but we are continuing to clear them. We are also providing essentials to every affected family and medical camps have been set up.”

She added: “Our primary need is road access so that people can at least reach the town. Once that is restored, we can assess other requirements.” Another priority is reaching homes that remain cut off.

“Since the disaster struck, people across the country have come together to help, offering their resources, labour, and expertise. We are deeply grateful for this support,” Hennayake stated.

According to Uva Paranagama Divisional Secretary Mangala Kumara, the divisional secretariat had acted as the first responders in the area when the disaster hit, after which the villagers themselves had mobilised to provide assistance.

“The day before the disaster, we held a district disaster management committee meeting and issued warnings related to the rains. However, landslides occurred in areas beyond those identified by the NBRO as high-risk. 

“Since we prepare based on past experience, our grama niladharis issued proper early warnings. As a result, there were only two fatalities in the initial landslides, while two more deaths were caused by the panic during the rains. Two more fatalities were reported where people had returned to their homes despite being evacuated. Without these early warnings, the loss of life could have been much greater,” he said. 

While communication has largely been restored, power gaps persist in some areas. “First, the roads need to be cleared. Then we need to restore power so that life can return to normal.”

Kumara added: “We’ve had about four days of sunlight, and at this point, we have accessed all areas that were previously cut off. Only about two camps remain active, as most people have returned home. Public life is gradually returning to normal, although a few roads are still blocked and are being cleaned, while the Ceylon Electricity Board is working to restore power.”

Given the hill country terrain, further risks also persist. “In addition to landslides, we are seeing cracks on the ground. We will be examining these areas with the NBRO, and we may have to relocate the homes,” he said.

Distribution of compensation for the affected has also commenced. “We have provided the initial round of compensation of Rs. 100,000 for funerary arrangements for five diseased persons. There is a missing person, for whom compensation will be issued once the body is recovered. Officials are also assessing damage to homes and vouchers of Rs. 25,000 have been prepared for a hundred people. Once the remaining assessments are complete, full compensation will be paid accordingly.”

Department of Irrigation Kandy Regional Director’s Office Director of Irrigation Eng. S.P.H. Gamage offered an assessment of the damage, emphasising that rehabilitation was the priority, although the full cost remained difficult to estimate.

“At the moment, the reservoirs are at controllable levels, but the damage is extensive. For instance, in Nuwara Eliya, entire irrigation systems have been washed away or have collapsed due to landslides. Not even our officers can reach these areas and the roads to access the reservoirs are completely gone. We are still in the process of calculating the full losses, but even that will take several days,” Gamage said.