Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya says the government stands ready to support rebuilding the University of Peradeniya after several of the facilities were damaged in recent floods.
The Prime Minister visited the Peradeniya University premises, where she met with student representatives and Heads of Departments affected by the floods that swept through the campus on November 27.
The visit aimed to personally inspect the damage, which caused extensive damage to academic buildings, student facilities and key infrastructure, the Office of the Prime Minister said in a statement.
University officials briefed the Prime Minister on the severity of the impact, highlighting significant losses to the Faculties of Management, Agriculture, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the IT Centre, CDCE, gymnasium, swimming pool, and playgrounds.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya was also briefed on how the disaster disrupted both academic activities and the wellbeing of students and staff, including the loss of more than 110 computers, vital laboratory equipment, examination documents, and four central IT servers, with preliminary damage estimates exceeding Rs. 6 billion. She commended the swift evacuation of nearly 750 students from hostels located along the Mahaweli River banks and acknowledged the resilience shown by nearly 11,000 students who remained on campus during the crisis.
She expressed her appreciation to the Sri Lanka Army, the Disaster Management Centre and local donors for providing food, water, and essential supplies at a time when access and communication were severely disrupted.
A joint engineering team has confirmed that university buildings remain structurally stable, although several require urgent repairs. Academic activities at the university have been suspended until December 15.
The Prime Minister discussed with the Vice Chancellor and emergency response teams the immediate steps required to restore normalcy and provide necessary support to students whose studies and daily routines have been significantly affected.
During these discussions, the Prime Minister also issued a series of directives focusing on both immediate relief and long-term safety. These include restoring essential services such as water, electricity, and safe access pathways for students; accelerating the rehabilitation of heavily damaged faculties and laboratories; strengthening early warning systems for flood-prone areas; and implementing long-term mitigation measures such as riverbank protection, improved drainage, and the relocation of vulnerable facilities. She directed the relevant agencies to fast-track government assistance, assuring the university community that the government will provide its full support to rebuild the Peradeniya University.
