THE disaster-hit nation has unveiled a major compensation package to rebuild homes damaged by a deadly cyclone, even as the island prepared for further landslides and flooding.
The government has confirmed 607 deaths, with another 214 people missing and feared dead, in what President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called the country’s most challenging natural disaster.
More than two million people – nearly 10% of the population – have been affected.
Survivors will be offered up to 10 million rupees (RM133,000) to buy land in a safer location and build a new house, the finance ministry said in a statement late Friday.
The government is also offering one million rupees (RM13,000) as compensation for each person who was killed or permanently disabled.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said more than 71,000 homes were damaged, including nearly 5,000 that were completely destroyed by last week’s floods and landslides.
Around 150,000 people remain in state-run shelters, down from a peak of 225,000.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it was considering Sri Lanka’s request for an additional US$200mil (RM822mil), on top of the US$347mil (RM1.43bil) tranche the country was already due to receive this month.
“The IMF remains closely engaged with the Sri Lankan authorities during this challenging period and is committed to supporting the country as it undertakes urgent efforts to recover, rebuild and promote resilience for the future,” the Washington-based lender said late Friday.
Cyclone Ditwah devastated swathes of Sri Lanka as it was emerging from its worst economic crisis in 2022, following a four-year, US$2.9bil (RM11.9bil) bailout loan from the IMF agreed in early 2023.
Dissanayake told parliament on Friday that Sri Lanka’s economy had made a significant recovery but was not strong enough to withstand the latest shock alone. — AFP
