CGTN Europe spoke to His Excellency Nimal Senadheera, High Commissioner of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, about the rescue and relief efforts following the deadly floods brought on by cyclone Ditwah. Appeal for assistance is launched online at donate.gov.lk
00:00Emergency teams across South Asia are racing to deliver aid after floods and landslides killed more than 1,600 people, according to the United Nations.
00:09Many villages remain buried under mud and debris, with hundreds of people unaccounted for.
00:15Across the region, nearly 11 million people have now been affected, including about 1.2 million forced from their homes.
00:23Well, Sri Lanka is asking the International Monetary Fund for help after cyclone Ditwa killed at least 600 people there.
00:30The country says it needs $200 million to rebuild after the cyclone, believed to be Sri Lanka's worst natural disaster since the tsunami in 2004.
00:41Our correspondent Li Jan Hwa has been speaking to Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to the UK.
00:46This cyclone Ditwa has caused widespread destruction across the country, including all 25 districts.
00:57The government is doing immediate relief work to make the people comfortable in relief centres and to provide food and clean drinking water.
01:11And also with international support and support from the overseas Sri Lankans, the government is coping with the immediate relief measures.
01:24And now are focusing on relocation and rebuilding efforts to be started soon.
01:32Sri Lanka has faced some major floods before, and memories from 2004 were still quite fresh for many of us.
01:42Some are saying that the government is not declaring the national emergency as quickly as possible.
01:51So what's your comment on that?
01:53Yeah, I wouldn't agree on that because I think the government has taken all necessary steps to make the people aware of that and also to face the impending challenge.
02:06And accordingly, but you would understand that this destruction is of unprecedented magnitude.
02:13And it's the worst or the deadliest natural disaster faced by the Sri Lanka so far, especially after the tsunami.
02:22Even due to the tsunami, the tsunami affected the coastal areas of the country.
02:29And so the other part could assist the affected people.
02:34And they had the opportunity to attend to them.
02:39But here, the whole of the island, all 25 districts have been affected.
02:46So it's a challenge of unprecedented magnitude, as I said.
02:51And so the government, however, is doing its best to address this situation and to face challenges.
02:58And the UN has released a report saying that food security could be a problem because of crop losses and transport disruption.
03:06And we've seen some international assistance already, including that from China.
03:10So just how much it is helping and what more do you need?
03:14Our focus would be on now, the long term and medium term and long term, resettlement and rehabilitation of the critical infrastructure, roads and railways and water supply ways and electricity power lines,
03:36which were critically damaged by this destruction, for which we will seek and also we expect the international support.
03:45With global warming looming large now, are you concerned that countries like Sri Lanka will be affected or impacted more in the future?
03:53Yeah, I think this is being discussed in the relevant international forums.
03:59We know that so we can refer into this kind of extreme weather conditions and destructions caused by such events.
04:10We will be able to more emphatically present our cases and seek how we can influence policy and also the cause of action with regard to mitigating this kind of events in the future,
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