Overview

Cyclone Ditwah caused severe flooding, landslides, and humanitarian impacts across Sri Lanka on 27 November 2025.Although the cyclone had moderate wind intensity, it produced extremely heavy rainfall across the central highlands,exceeding 300 mm within 24 hours in several locations. This intense rainfall triggered widespread flooding and landslides,particularly in the Kandy District and Upper Mahaweli catchment.

Nationwide, the disaster caused 643 deaths, affected over 1.8 million people, and displaced around 233,000 people into temporary shelters. More than 15,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, while roads, bridges, and public infrastructure were severely impacted.

Daily rainfall distribution from 22nd to 30th November

What We Have Done

FECT researchers and collaborators conducted field visits and surveys in affected areas including Gampola, Gelioya, and Peradeniya. The team is preparing detailed reports and spatial analyses to document impacts, identify key issues, and support disaster risk reduction planning.

Key Issues Identified

• Extreme rainfall patterns compared with historical records
• River flooding and overflow in the Upper Mahaweli Basin
• Landslides in the central highlands
• Local impacts of flooding and landslides in selected communities
• Review of tributaries including Pinga Oya and Meda Oya
• Performance of early warning systems during the cyclone
• Water management operations during extreme rainfall events

What We Can Do

FECT Hope To Deepen The Above Work And Also Keen To Undertake

• Documentation: Climate and disaster impact studies in Sri Lanka
• Climate Research: Improving cyclone and rainfall prediction models
• Climate Impacts: Land-use and land-cover analysis using GIS and remote sensing
• Water Management: Reviewing flood and disaster management practices
• Governance: Strengthening disaster response institutions
• Climate Justice: Expanding multilingual climate information and community training