Officials of the Ministry of Transport and Highways and Urban Development yesterday said that due to the destruction of roads and bridges across the country by Cyclone Ditwah, the Road Development Authority alone had incurred a loss of approximately Rs. 75 billion.
The officials said the restoration of disaster-hit roads and bridges would require approximately Rs. 190 billion.
This was disclosed at the meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development, convened to discuss the nature of the Ditwah disaster and the measures to be taken to assess the resulting social, economic, and environmental damage. The meeting was held recently (11) in Parliament under the Chairmanship of Member of Parliament S.M. Marikkar.
During the meeting, officials of the Ministry of Transport and Highways and Urban Development pointed out that as a result of the disaster situation, 316 roads and 40 bridges, under the purview of the Road Development Authority, had been damaged.
However, the Chair of the Committee pointed out that assessments regarding damage to railway lines and regional roads across the country had not yet been carried out. The Chair further emphasised the importance of the Ministry taking the lead in formulating a mechanism to provide financial allocations for the rehabilitation of regional roads.
Accordingly, the officials informed the Committee that it was currently expected to obtain a loan of Rs. 2 billion from the World Bank, and that funds required to carry out these rehabilitation works were also expected to be obtained from several other institutions.
Meanwhile, officials of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) informed the Committee that the CEB had incurred a loss of approximately Rs. 20 billion due to recent natural disasters. It said discussions are underway to obtain a loan from the World Bank for this purpose. Commenting on this, the Chair of the Committee advised the CEB officials to obtain these funds as a grant rather than as a loan. He emphasised the importance of securing the funds as a grant, as obtaining them as a loan could result in an increase in electricity bills for consumers.
In addition, officials informed the Committee that Lanka Electricity Company (Pvt.) Ltd. had incurred an estimated loss of Rs. 252 million due to the Ditwah disaster. Officials representing the company further stated that since the expenditure required for the repair work could be covered with budgetary allocations already provided to them, no additional loan or grant was required.
Officials also informed the Committee that the National Water Supply and Drainage Board had incurred an estimated loss of Rs. 5.6 billion due to the disaster. The Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply informed the Committee that 156 water supply schemes of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board were damaged, and that all of them had now been restored. The Secretary further informed the Committee that arrangements were being made to obtain the funds required for rehabilitation as a grant from the Asian Development Bank.
Accordingly, emphasising the importance of preparing plans to face potential future disasters, the Chairman of the Committee said the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development was ready to provide necessary support to the relevant ministries and officials for this purpose.
Members of Parliament Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, Ajith P. Perera, and Asitha Niroshana Egodavithana, along with a group of officials, were present at the discussion.
