Severe floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah have created a rapidly escalating humanitarian emergency across Sri Lanka, with 1.8 million people exposed to flooding, according to a joint rapid assessment by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and UN agencies as of 4 December.
The assessment identifies 362,939 children and 326,703 older persons among those affected. Critically, the crisis has also disrupted essential health services for an estimated 450,000 women of reproductive age, 144,000 adolescent girls, and 19,513 pregnant women—many of whom now face limited access to antenatal, postnatal, family planning and emergency obstetric care.
UNFPA warned that women and girls are disproportionately affected in crises of this scale, facing heightened risks to their safety, dignity and well-being, including increased exposure to gender-based violence (GBV). In response, UNFPA Sri Lanka has activated a comprehensive humanitarian operation in collaboration with the government, development partners, UN agencies and civil society.
As part of its immediate relief efforts, UNFPA has distributed 700 dignity kits for women and girls and 520 maternity kits for pregnant women in severely affected districts such as Batticaloa, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Badulla, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Colombo and Gampaha. The kits—funded by the Governments of Australia and Japan—contain essential items including sanitary napkins, clothing, baby diapers, towels, mosquito nets, soap, toothpaste, bed sheets and buckets to support the health and comfort of women and newborns during displacement.
Distributions were carried out through Regional Directors of Health Services with the support of the Ministry of Health. UNFPA also facilitated awareness sessions for pregnant women and menstrual health sessions for girls to ensure access to vital information despite disruptions to the health system.
The agency is also coordinating with UNHCR to provide assistance to refugees and asylum seekers affected by the disaster. In addition, UNFPA staff have been deployed to the DMC to support joint assessment efforts.
UNFPA will conduct GBV Safety Verification assessments in the Gampaha district to evaluate security, sanitation and reporting mechanisms in evacuation centres, working closely with the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, the Family Health Bureau, Sri Lanka Police and the GBV Forum to reinforce referral pathways for survivors.
With hundreds of thousands still in urgent need, UNFPA said it will continue scaling up its life-saving response to ensure women and girls have access to critical health services, safety, dignity and protection.
UNFPA reaffirmed its commitment to assisting the most vulnerable “swiftly, safely and with dignity,” ensuring no one is left behind as recovery efforts continue.
