4,00,000 workers affected by SL Cyclone: ILO

Nearly 4,00,000 workers have been affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said on Tuesday. The cyclone that hit the island nation in late November killed over 640 people and damaged crops, tea estates and critical transport infrastructures, including roads and bridges. In a brief, the ILO said that the population living in areas affected by the cyclone’s devastation accounted for approximately 1.7 million people, nearly 7.5 per cent of Sri Lanka’s total population.

Approximately 374,000 workers are located in affected areas of the cyclone devastation in the island nation, placing livelihoods and household incomes under strain, it said. The estimated affected workforce consists of 244,000 men and 130,000 women. “At the sectoral level, these figures translate to 85,000 agricultural jobs, 125,000 industrial jobs and 164,000 service jobs,” it said. “The scale of potential monthly earnings losses $48 million a month underscores the urgency of income stabilising measures, particularly for informal and low wage workers,” it said.

The floods and landslides triggered have put some 16 per cent of the national GDP at risk, valued at around USD 16 billion, with impacts concentrated in a limited number of districts. This increases the likelihood of uneven recovery and prolonged local economic disruption if not addressed, the ILO said. The floods and landslides in key production areas have threatened both short-term employment and undermined long-term food security and livelihoods, it adds. This took place at a time when Sri Lanka already faces multiple labour market challenges, notably associated with the post-conflict period, COVID-19 crisis and slowing exports, the ILO said.