Colombia, Jan 11 : Sri Lanka's Minister of Environment Dammika Patabendi has directed officials to renovate elephant fences damaged by Cyclone Ditwah within one week.

The ministry announced on Sunday that the order was issued during a progress review meeting held on Saturday on the restoration of fences severely affected by last month's cyclone, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ministry said extensive damage has been reported across a number of areas affected by the Human Elephant Conflict (HEC).

HEC is a serious problem in certain parts of Sri Lanka. According to official data, there were 438 elephant deaths and 158 human deaths in 2025.

Earlier on Friday, Sri Lanka launched a major housing reconstruction and compensation program for families affected by Cyclone Ditwah, the President's Media Division (PMD) said.

According to the PMD, the initiative, part of the government's "Rebuilding Sri Lanka" program, began in the Anuradhapura and Kurunegala districts, where new housing projects were inaugurated in Galnewa, Rajanganaya, Nikaweratiya and Rideegama. The program aims to support communities that suffered widespread destruction during the cyclone.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said preliminary assessments indicate that between 20,000 and 25,000 houses will need to be rebuilt nationwide. He said official data show that around 6,000 homes were completely destroyed, while an estimated 17,000 to 18,000 more were partially damaged or located in areas deemed unsafe. Authorities plan to finalise the full damage assessment in the coming weeks.

The president said the reconstruction effort will run alongside existing national housing programs funded through the 2026 budget, which include plans to build 31,000 houses for low-income families, conflict-displaced communities and estate-sector workers, with additional cooperation from India for hill-country housing projects.

The Sri Lankan economy suffered a 4.1-billion-dollar loss due to Cyclone Ditwah.

/IANS