File photo: A general view shows Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo. AFP
Colombo: Sri Lanka plans to allocate nearly one billion U.S. dollars in 2026 for road construction and the repair of roads damaged by floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah, a senior minister said on Saturday.
Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake told journalists that about 486 million dollars have been allocated for reconstructing damaged roads, while another 486 million dollars will be used for new road construction.
He said that 99 percent of the damaged roads had been rebuilt within about a month after Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka.
The minister also said the Sri Lankan government will begin compensating people whose houses were fully or partially damaged by the cyclone starting this month, adding that each household whose homes were completely destroyed will be allocated 5 million to 10 million rupees (about 32,313 U.S. dollars).
