Sri Lanka has sought China’s help to rebuild bridges and railway lines damaged by a deadly cyclone that battered the island in November. With critical transport links destroyed and recovery efforts underway, Colombo is looking to international partners to speed up reconstruction and support its long road back to normalcy
Sri Lanka has asked China for urgent assistance to rebuild key infrastructure damaged by
Cyclone Ditwah, which tore through the island nation in November. The cyclone caused flooding, landslides and destruction, overwhelming local disaster-response efforts and leaving bridges and railway tracks in ruins.
In a meeting on Monday, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath urged Chinese authorities to help restore the damaged transport links that are essential for everyday life and economic recovery, according to PTI.
‘Urgent rebuilding needed’
During talks with Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong in Colombo, Herath said Sri Lanka needed “urgent assistance in rebuilding bridges and rail tracks damaged by the cyclone.”
He also raised the idea of setting up electric vehicle (EV) charging points across Sri Lanka, noting the growing number of Chinese-made EVs being imported into the country.
Ambassador Qi responded positively, promising to take Sri Lanka’s requests back to the Chinese government and explore how they could help with recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka in late November, unloading torrential rain and triggering severe flooding and landslides. According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) in Colombo, the disaster has claimed the lives of more than 638 people, and 175 remain missing as rescue and recovery efforts continue.
The scale of the cyclone’s destruction has placed immense pressure on Sri Lanka’s already stretched infrastructure and economy. Damage to critical links like railway lines and bridges has hampered movement and slowed relief work in many affected areas.
International support flows in
China is not the only partner Sri Lanka is turning to. In recent weeks, India unveiled a
$450 million relief and repair package to help Sri Lanka recover from the cyclone’s impact, focusing on restoring roads, bridges and housing.
Earlier, India also sent Bailey bridge components and engineering support under
Operation Sagar Bandhu to help reconnect communities cut off by the storm.
Restoring infrastructure is expected to be both expensive and time-consuming, with estimates suggesting railway repairs alone could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
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