COLOMBO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka is taking steps to restore transport networks in areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah and heavy rainfall, with authorities assessing widespread damage to roads, bridges and rail infrastructure.
Sri Lanka's Road Development Authority (RDA) announced that the Colombo-Kandy Road section between Ganethenna and Kadugannawa was opened to traffic at 7 a.m. local time on Monday morning.
Earlier on Sunday, Madhura Senevirathna, the country's Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education, confirmed that all access roads leading to the Nuwara Eliya District, one of the regions that bore the brunt of the cyclone, have been opened.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met officials at the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat on Monday to review road conditions and the immediate measures required for repairs. He requested a detailed report on such locations and instructed officials to provide funding for the reconstruction of damaged roads, culverts and side walls, with the aim of completing all work before the end of the year.
The RDA reported that at least 108 roads have been affected by floods and landslides in recent days. Currently, officers have been assigned across the country to carry out urgent work where possible, said Wimal Kandambi, Director General of the RDA. ■
