A special District Coordinating Committee meeting, convened to review the damage caused to the agricultural sector in the Nuwara Eliya District due to Cyclone Ditwah and to discuss the urgent measures required, was held this morning (08) at the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with the participation of the relevant responsible officials.

Due to adverse weather conditions, 1,421 hectares of vegetable cultivation in the Nuwara Eliya District has been damaged. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed the relevant officials to take the necessary measures to provide compensation to farmers without delay.

Officials stated that although there has been crop damage, the reduction in the vegetable harvest in the Nuwara Eliya District would be around 25%. They added that Nuwara Eliya district would be able to meet the daily demand, but a decrease in the daily demand has been observed.

Officials further pointed out to the President that the reason for this decline is the spread of false information claiming a vegetable shortage in the Nuwara Eliya District and that prices have excessively increased.

The President emphasised that no room will be given in the future for unauthorised constructions and that the laws relating to them will be strengthened. The President further pointed out that failure to do so would lead the country to face an even greater disaster.

President Dissanayake stated that a separate unit will be established under the Reconstruction Presidential Task Force, which is to be set up shortly, to formulate legal policies and that this will enable long-term solutions to these issues.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made these remarks on Sunday (07)  afternoon  while participating in the Special District Coordination Committee meeting held at the Kurunegala District Secretariat.

The President instructed the relevant authorities to restore all damaged provincial roads and local council roads in the Kurunegala District to full functionality and reopen them for public use within the next two weeks.

He further stated that the allocations already set aside for this purpose should be utilized and that any roads that cannot be completed before 31 December, along with the required allocations, should be reported. The necessary funds will be allocated for these in the 2026 budget.

The district has recorded damage to 1,181l  ‘A’ and ‘B’ grade provincial roads due to the disaster, along with 35 bridges, 162 culverts and one embankment. Detailed discussions were held on restoring them urgently.

The President separately reviewed the measures taken to restore essential infrastructure including electricity, water supply and communication facilities that had been disrupted in the district due to the disaster. He emphasised that delivering services up to the end user is the responsibility of the service-providing institutions and highlighted the need for strong coordination among these institutions to overcome existing obstacles.

Officials reported that 12,729 hectares of paddy land in the Kurunegala District were fully damaged due to the disaster, of which 7,215 hectares remain cultivable, while 5,514 hectares cannot be cultivated.

The President instructed the Water Supply Board to provide temporary water where cultivation is hindered due to lack of irrigation water and directed authorities to minimise the extent of uncultivable land as much as possible to ensure harvesting. He also inquired into the programme for supplying paddy seeds and fertiliser to farmers.

Damage caused to maize, vegetables and other supplementary crops, as well as the compensation process for affected farmers, was also reviewed.

The President informed local council Chairpersons that a main responsibility for well-cleaning activities lies with the local councils and instructed them to expedite the work with the assistance of the Tri-Forces and voluntary organisations.

Highlighting the need for maintaining accurate data on livestock farms across the country, the President pointed out that existing laws may be insufficient for this purpose and stressed the need to revise them. He also noted that the lack of proper registration of livestock farms causes issues when granting compensation and other assistance.

Therefore, the President instructed officials to bring all livestock-related data into a single system, review it and promptly make policy decisions regarding compensation.

There were also discussions on reviving the inland fisheries industry, healthcare requirements and the reopening of schools.

Extensive discussions were held on identifying land for resettlement and granting compensation for damaged houses. The President instructed that Divisional Secretaries must play a major role in compensation payments and resettlement activities.

Meanwhile, Venerable Aluthgama Mangala Thero, Chief Incumbent of Maddeketiya, Gokarella Sangamu Raja Maha Viharaya has allocated 20 acres of temple land for the resettlement of affected families. The relevant documentation was handed over to the President.

A financial donation of Rs. 10 million from the North Western Provincial Cooperative Societies, associations and members coordinated by the North Western Provincial Cooperative Development Department along with a donation from  S.M. Wasantha Samarakoon, owner of Gokarella Rice Mill, was also handed over to the President.

Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijepala, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Namal Karunaratne, Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs , Namal Sudarshana, North Western Province Governor, Tissa Warnasuriya, district MPs from both government and opposition, local council Chairpersons, Secretary to the Treasury, Dr Harshana Suriyapperuma , Ministry Secretaries, Kurunegala District Secretary, Chandana Dissanayake, senior government officials and security forces leaders were present on this occasion.