Sri Lanka President urges coordinated action to restore lives and infrastructure after disaster

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called for immediate and well-organized action to help people affected by the disaster and to quickly rebuild essential services across the country.

Speaking at a meeting held this morning (November 30) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, the President stressed that rescue and relief for affected communities must remain the top priority. However, he also said it is equally important to restore basic infrastructure so that daily life can return to normal as soon as possible.

The discussion brought together key ministries and government institutions to review the damage and plan the next steps. The main focus areas included highways and other roads, drinking water systems, irrigation repairs, and the rebuilding of railway lines and services.

Officials highlighted the urgent need to fix destroyed highways, bridges, and railway tracks to restore the country’s transport network. They also talked about creating a detailed plan to repair damaged roads and to restart railway operations in stages.

President Dissanayake instructed all teams to first carry out a complete assessment of the damage. He also emphasized the importance of identifying available physical and human resources so that repair work can begin without delay.

Challenges faced by the institutions during the recovery process were openly discussed, and the President directed officials to take practical steps to resolve these issues.

The meeting was attended by secretaries of several ministries, including Public Administration; Transport, Highways and Urban Development; Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation; and Housing, Construction and Water Supply. Heads of major institutions such as Sri Lanka Railways, the Department of Irrigation, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, the Ceylon Electricity Board, the Road Development Authority, and the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation were also present. Senior officers from the tri forces participated as well.