The Registrar General’s Department has confirmed that birth and marriage certificates belonging to over one million citizens have been destroyed following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Registrar General Shashi Devi Jaldeepan announced that mobile service programmes have been launched across 22 disaster-affected districts to address the crisis. The Department estimates that of the nearly 2.2 million people impacted by the floods and landslides, more than half have lost these crucial legal documents.

Under this new initiative, replacement certificates are being issued free of charge via an expedited one-day service. The Department is also working to issue death certificates for those who perished or remain missing due to the disaster.

Jaldeepan noted that these mobile services are being implemented in conjunction with the government’s ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ programme in select areas, with support from the Commissioner General of Essential Services and various non-governmental organisations.

Operations have already commenced in the Kottawa and Kandy districts, where District Deputy Registrars are currently collating data on residents lacking documentation. Jaldeepan stated that the Department aims to conclude the reissue of all certificates by the end of January next year.