By Ria Jain
‘Operation Sagarbandhu’, India’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative has been put into effect since 28th November, 2025. It was a step towards helping Sri Lanka recover from the catastrophic Cyclone Ditwah.
Due to the cyclone, Sri Lanka has been fighting against extreme weather conditions along with floods, landslides and severely collapsing infrastructure since November 16. The effects have left many districts deserted and have heavily affected the country’s capacity to respond to disasters. According to sources, over 627 people have lost their lives, while 190 are still missing, as of Sunday afternoon.
Under Operation Sagarbandhu, India has set up a mobile hospital that has successfully provided help to over 2200 victims of the cyclone. The hospital, set up in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy has been a boon to the flood affected nation. It has so far performed about 3 major surgeries and 67 minor procedures. The field hospital was airlifted by an IAF C-17 on Tuesday. There were around 78 members of the Indian medical team aboard the aircraft.
Furthermore, New Delhi has also supported the nation with engineering tech and some relief consignments. Indians from Tamil Nadu have also contributed around 1000 tonnes of clothing and food. Out of these nearly 300 tonnes have reached Colombo on Sunday through three Indian Naval ships. These were handed over to Wasantha Samarasinghe, the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development by Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha.
Indian Army Engineers, along with those from Sri Lanka and their Road Development Authority in Kilinochchi, have also started the removal of damaged bridges on one of the key routes – the Paranthan-Karachchi-Mullaitivu road.
Apart from the field hospital and essential supplies, INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri and INS Sukanya have been deployed to provide evacuation and relief services to the country. Additionally, since the disaster, ISRO has been assisting the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre in their rescue efforts.