Cyclone Ditwah

Cyclone Ditwah, the worst cyclone to hit Sri Lanka in a century, caused catastrophic damage in late 2025. The storm, exacerbated by the climate crisis, brought intense rainfall, triggering widespread flooding and landslides across Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia, including Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. In Sri Lanka alone, the death toll exceeded 600, with the overall death toll across Asia surpassing 1,000. Hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed, and vital infrastructure, including tea plantations, rice fields, and rail lines, suffered extensive damage, costing billions of dollars. The disaster has prompted calls for the suspension of Sri Lanka's debt repayments to aid recovery efforts, which are being hampered by ongoing heavy rainfall and landslide risks. The event highlights the increasing vulnerability of the region to extreme weather events and the urgent need for climate action and disaster preparedness.