India airlifts movable bridge system, water units to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

India has airlifted a movable modular bridge system and hundreds of water-purification units to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka as part of its ongoing humanitarian support to reconnect isolated communities and restore essential services in the island nation, the Indian mission here said on Thursday.

Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.

At least 479 people have been killed and 350 are missing as of Wednesday evening due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.

A C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force flew in the Bailey Bridge system along with 500 water purification units on Wednesday, following a request from Colombo, the Indian High Commission said in a statement.

The massive structure can be installed within a few hours to replace damaged bridges, significantly strengthening relief access and mobility for emergency services in landslide- and flood-hit areas, it said.

The flight also carried 22 personnel, including expert engineers to install the bridge and a medical team to assist the field hospital deployed earlier, the mission said.

In a social media post, the mission said disaster-management cooperation between the two neighbours also continued in the digital sphere.

In a virtual meeting held on Wednesday, Bhaskar Katamneni, Secretary of Real Time Governance, Andhra Pradesh, shared a "digital toolkit" showcasing the state government's best practices in disaster preparedness and response with Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Advisor to the Sri Lankan President on Digital Economy, and the GovTech team.

India has been extending humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, with extensive air, sea and ground operations delivering urgent relief to those affected.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in a social media post on Wednesday expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India's steadfast support to the island nation.

Sri Lankan officials said the scale of the humanitarian crisis continues to deepen.

As of Wednesday night, more than 1.6 million people from over 455,000 families had been marooned, according to National Disaster Relief Services Centre (NDRSC) Assistant Secretary Jayathissa Munasinghe.

The government is operating 1,347 relief centres sheltering over 188,000 people.

Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Director General Bandula Herath said about 75 per cent of mobile coverage had been restored.

While none of the island's 9,332 communication towers were damaged, 16,926 distribution points remain affected due to lack of electricity and fuel to power generators, he said.

Authorities said accidental deaths among relief workers have risen to eight.

A 41-year-old electricity board employee died after being electrocuted during restoration work. Earlier, a Sri Lankan Air Force pilot was killed during an airdrop mission, while five Navy personnel and a Road Development Authority worker also died during rescue operations.

Officials estimate a total economic loss of between USD 6 billion and 7 billion, which is roughly 3-5 per cent of the island nation's GDP, due to the cyclone.