Photo Credit: ADPC

Colombo, Sri Lanka, 19 January 2026 - Senior officials from the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) visited key national institutions in Sri Lanka to strengthen technical collaboration on landslide risk management and climate resilience following the devastating impacts of Cyclone Ditwah in November last year.

Mr. Aslam Perwaiz, Executive Director of ADPC, and Dr. Senaka Basnayake, Program Lead for Climate Services, visited the National Building Research Institute (NBRI) on 16 January 2026.

NBRI is Sri Lanka’s mandated authority for landslide risk management. The visit followed a formal request for international technical assistance submitted by NBRI through H.E. Mrs. Wijayanthi Edirisinghe, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Thailand, during her visit to ADPC earlier this month.

The request seeks technical support for the rehabilitation of landslide-affected communities and damaged infrastructure caused by Cyclone Ditwah, which triggered widespread slope failures across several districts due to intense and prolonged rainfall.

During a meeting with Dr. Asiri Karunawardena, Director General of NBRI, Mr. Perwaiz reaffirmed ADPC’s commitment to provide technical guidance for landslide hazard mapping in Sri Lanka’s hilly districts. He announced that ADPC would be deputing a technical expert to work closely with NBRI staff to support landslide mapping using drone-based technologies. Dr. Karunawardena expressed appreciation for ADPC’s support, including the organization of a seminar titled “International Best Practices in Landslide Risk Management for Post-Ditwah Rehabilitation of Landslide-Affected Areas and Communities in Sri Lanka,” held on 13 January 2026. The seminar brought together international landslide experts from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Norway.

As part of the visit, Mr. Perwaiz also met with Mr. Athula Karunanayake, Director General of Meteorology, and Mr. Bandula Sirimal, Project Director of the Climate Resilience Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach (CResMPA), at the Department of Meteorology (DoM). Discussions focused on the progress of the ongoing project on “System Integration for the Modernization of the Department of Meteorology,” which is supported by the World Bank through CResMPA.

Photo Credit: ADPC

The ADPC delegation also conducted field visits to two landslide sites in the Kegalle District. At Monaroviya Watta (Estate) in Thulhiriya, a landslide triggered by intense rainfall from Cyclone Ditwah on 29 November claimed 21 lives and buried nine houses at the foot of a slope. In Uthuwankanda, another rainfall-induced landslide damaged several houses and temporarily blocked the Colombo–Kandy A1 Road. No casualties were reported at this location.

Photo Credit: ADPC

ADPC reiterated its commitment to supporting Sri Lankan institutions involved in post-cyclone recovery and rehabilitation efforts. These include the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), National Building Research Institute (NBRI), Department of Meteorology (DoM), and other relevant sectoral agencies, with a focus on strengthening disaster risk reduction, early warning systems, and resilient rebuilding.

For more information, please visit: adpc@adpc.net