India boosts aid efforts for cyclone-hit Sri Lanka
India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu last month, offering heartfelt humanitarian support to help Sri Lanka recover after Cyclone Ditwah’s devastation.
Colombo: India has deepened its humanitarian outreach to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, continuing extensive air, sea and ground missions to support communities struggling in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. The Indian High Commission, in a statement on Wednesday, said that relief operations have been carried out “round the clock,” reflecting the urgency and compassion driving India’s assistance during.
Sri Lanka remains overwhelmed by widespread flooding, massive landslides and the collapse of critical infrastructure. Many districts have been cut off for days, leaving families stranded without access to food, clean water or medical care. The scale of the destruction has stretched the country’s disaster-response capacity to its limits.
As of Wednesday evening, at least 479 people have lost their lives, while another 350 remain missing after relentless extreme weather pounded the island since November 16. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported that 1,614,790 individuals, representing 455,405 families, have been affected—numbers that continue to rise as authorities reach previously inaccessible areas.
Amid this devastation, Indian rescue teams have been working shoulder to shoulder with Sri Lankan authorities. were carried out under dangerous and emotionally charged conditions.
In Puttalam, teams from India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) conducted some of the most challenging operations of the mission. They evacuated people trapped in waist-deep waters, including pregnant women, the elderly, and those in urgent need of medical care. NDRF personnel also undertook door-to-door supply missions, delivering essential relief to nearly 800 stranded residents who had been unable to leave their homes for days.
Coordinated air operations have also played a crucial role. In partnership with the Sri Lankan Air Force, the Indian Air Force’s IFC 1885 unit flew essential relief materials to Poramadulla and transported personnel from Nuwara Eliya to reinforce ongoing ground operations. These missions ensured that aid reached remote highland regions where landslides had blocked roads and cut off communication lines.
Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post, acknowledging India’s solidarity during this painful period.
Launched last month, Operation Sagar Bandhu stands as India’s dedicated Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative to help Sri Lanka rebuild and recover after the destruction unleashed by Cyclone Ditwah—an effort grounded not just in diplomacy, but in empathy and longstanding friendship.