The Indian Air Force (IAF) airlifted a 65-tonne movable, modular Bailey Bridge system along with 500 water purification units to Sri Lanka on Wednesday as part of its aid to the cyclone-battered island nation that has so far witnessed at least 479 deaths due to catastrophic floods and landslides since November 16.
A C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft of the IAF flew in the movable bridge system, following a request from Colombo, the Indian High Commission said in a statement.
“The massive structure can be installed within a few hours to replace damaged bridges, significantly strengthening relief access and mobility for emergency services in landslide- and flood-hit areas,” it said.
Also on the flight were 22 personnel, including expert engineers, to install the bridge and a medical team to assist the field hospital deployed earlier, the mission said.
India is helping its southern neighbour pick up the pieces by offering humanitarian support to reconnect isolated communities and restore essential services in the island nation, the Indian mission added.
India has been extending humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, which includes extensive air, sea and ground operations delivering urgent relief to those affected.
Extreme weather has affected many south Indian states, but Cyclone Ditwah hit Sri Lanka the hardest, causing severe infrastructure collapse, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country’s disaster-response capacity.
There are more than 350 people still missing as of Wednesday evening, said Sri Lankan authorities. Officials estimate a total economic loss of between USD 6 billion and 7 billion, which is roughly 3-5 per cent of the island nation’s GDP, due to the cyclone.
Also Read: Cyclone Ditwah: 479 dead in Lanka; 22 districts disaster zones
Additionally, in a virtual meeting held on Wednesday, Bhaskar Katamneni, Secretary of Real Time Governance, Andhra Pradesh, shared a “digital toolkit” showcasing the state government’s best practices in disaster preparedness and response with Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Advisor to the Sri Lankan President on Digital Economy, and the GovTech team.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Sri Lankan President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s steadfast support to the island nation.
However, the country’ scale of humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, with more than 1.6 million people from over 455,000 families having been marooned as of Wednesday night, according to National Disaster Relief Services Centre (NDRSC) Assistant Secretary Jayathissa Munasinghe.
The government is operating 1,347 relief centres sheltering over 188,000 people.
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Director General Bandula Herath said 16,926 distribution points remain affected due to lack of electricity and fuel to power generators, although none of the island’s 9,332 communication towers were damaged.
About 75 per cent of mobile coverage had been restored, he added.
Accidental deaths among relief workers have also risen to eight, said authorities, saying a 41-year-old electricity board employee died after being electrocuted during restoration work.
Earlier, a Sri Lankan Air Force pilot was killed during an airdrop mission, while five Navy personnel and a Road Development Authority worker also died during rescue operations.
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