“Research, clinics, training halted after cyclone” A student at the University of Peradeniya
Our correspondents
A day ago
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has recently released a report stating that the
massive damage caused to the country’s homes, buildings, agriculture and infrastructure due to
Cyclone Ditva, which swept through Sri Lanka, killing nearly a thousand people and affecting
nearly two million people, has exceeded US$16 billion.
The University of Peradeniya is one of the main public service institutions in the country that
has been damaged. The damage caused to the university’s equipment and property due to the
floods caused by the heavy rains is about Rs. 5 billion, Vice-Chancellor Professor Terence
Madujith has told the media.
The university (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zoology) destroyed by the flood
He further It has been said that water has been accumulating in the university premises since
the evening of the 27th and that with the opening of the sluice gates of the Kotmale Dam, a
large body of water came through the Mahaweli River and submerged the Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine and the Faculty of Management at around 11 pm that night.
The extent of the destruction witnessed by the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) reporters who
went to investigate the disaster at the university, it will take a long time to restore it. This will
seriously disrupt the education of students in the faculties of agriculture and management at
the university.
After the devastation caused by the cyclone, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)/National
People’s Forces (NPF) government, which approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
for an additional loan of $200 million, has not complied with any of its conditions. A
supplementary budget to be presented for 2026 is set to further intensify the new tax hikes and
spending cuts.
Electricity tariffs have already been announced to increase by 11 percent. Inflation is continuing
to rise, which will fuel struggles among the working class, the rural poor and young people,
WSWS correspondents explained in discussions with students.
A veterinary student who spoke to the WSWS said: “The equipment at the Large Animal Farm
Hospital has been damaged, so practical studies have come to a standstill. It is a big problem
that we are all facing. We have to practice surgeries on video. It is not working. It is difficult to
imagine that the government will find a solution to this soon. There was no warning in advance.
If that had happened, the destruction not only here but everywhere would have been
minimized.”
University (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zoology) destroyed by the flood
A third-year student of that faculty further pointed out the severity of the destruction. “... The
damage caused to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zoology by the cyclone is immense.
This is the only complete Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Sri Lanka. That is why I think this will
have a serious impact on animal health services and disease control beyond the university
boundaries. Educational buildings, animal shelters, libraries, educational hospitals and other
essential equipment have been destroyed. All research data that was stored for a long time has
been destroyed. Research activities have stopped, clinical training has come to a standstill, and
this is an indescribable disaster. … Recovering from this is not an easy task. It is difficult to have
faith in the government. There is hope for donations.”
A student of the Faculty of Agriculture described the damage to the faculty. “It is said that the
damage to the Faculty of Agriculture is about half a billion rupees. The soil science laboratory,
the zoology laboratory, the meat processing laboratory and their equipment have also been
destroyed. A situation has arisen where our academic activities cannot be carried out properly.
Seeing the way the government is facing the problems, we cannot expect an immediate solution
to this,” she said.
The destroyed university’s belongings
A technical officer described the damage to the Faculty of Management: “The Faculty of
Management is located in a two-storey building. The upper floor was filled with about 3 feet of
water. Both the computer labs on the ground floor were flooded. About 240 machines in them
were destroyed. Also, important documents, research papers, and evaluation documents have
all been destroyed. The total loss is estimated to be Rs. 270 million. ..." he stated.
In such a situation, "it is necessary to move the faculty from this flooded premises to another
place. “But the authorities are preparing to open the faculty on January 12 without serious
reforms,” he said.
WSSA correspondents discussed with the students how to defeat the government’s attempt to
shift the burden of the economic crisis, which is deepening due to the cyclone, onto the working
class and the oppressed sections of the population. To do this, the correspondents pointed out
that a workers’ and peasants’ government should be brought to power that would implement
socialist policies, including the nationalization of banks, large factories and large-scale estates
under workers’ control. Such a government could seize the billions of wealth of the super-rich
and refuse to pay foreign debts, and use that money for the needs of the working-class masses.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality
(IYSSE) The reporters explained the importance of studying in depth the perspective of the
international socialism that is coming.
The Ditva cyclone is just