-By A Staff Writer in Colombo
(Lanka-e-News -04.Dec.2025, 11.00 PM) As Sri Lanka struggles to reconnect devastated communities in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, one of the most destructive storms to strike the island in recent years, CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd. has emerged as one of the earliest and most significant private-sector contributors to the national recovery effort—delivering both urgent financial assistance and critical on-ground support.
Within just 24 hours of committing support to the Government, the company deployed its full fleet of disaster-response machinery to the Central Province, reinforcing emergency teams who have been racing to clear blocked arterial routes and stabilise landslide-prone slopes.
At the same time, CHEC Port City Colombo extended a Rs. 10 million donation to the Government’s newly established Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund—a statutory mechanism set up under the Presidential Secretariat to support long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation.
The speed of mobilisation has drawn widespread attention. In a tightly coordinated operation, CHEC Port City Colombo dispatched 12 heavy-duty machines, including excavators, loaders, backhoes, flatbed trucks and dump trucks, together with teams of skilled engineers and operators, to the A5 route between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya—one of the worst-hit transport corridors.
Large portions of the highland roadway remain buried under debris, fallen earth and uprooted trees. Emergency vehicles have struggled to access isolated communities cut off by landslides and overwhelmed drainage channels.
“At a time when every hour matters, our priority is to move quickly and responsibly,” said Xiong Hongfeng, Managing Director of CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd. “This deployment is not symbolic. It is operational, immediate, and designed to restore access, reopen lifelines, and support communities in distress.”
The machinery was officially handed over to the Sri Lanka Army by Mr. Xiong, in the presence of Russel Aponsu, Senior Additional Secretary to the President. The Colombo Port City Economic Commission (CPCEC) facilitated the mobilisation as the regulatory authority overseeing Port City Colombo.
CHEC’s on-ground engineering teams will work alongside national disaster management officials to ensure the A5 corridor is reopened as swiftly as possible for rescue services, essential supplies and public access.
A day earlier, on 2 December, the company presented a Rs. 10 million contribution to Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma at the Ministry of Finance. The donation forms part of an immediate cash infusion expected to support urgent relief and long-term rebuilding projects.
“In this time of deep national sorrow, our hearts are with every Sri Lankan family affected by this tragedy,” Mr. Xiong said during the handover. “Sri Lanka has been a trusted partner for decades. Today, we stand with its people not merely as developers, but as friends, neighbours and long-term partners committed to rebuilding lives and communities.”
CHEC Port City Colombo’s project management division, together with the regional office of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Limited, has also raised an additional Rs. 3 million for relief efforts—bringing its total immediate financial commitment to Rs. 13 million.
Beyond funding and machinery, CHEC Port City Colombo is supplying specialised technical expertise for:
emergency bridge stabilisation;
reconstruction of washed-out road segments;
structural engineering assessments; and
support to reconnect villages stranded after the cyclone.
All required skilled personnel—from heavy-machine operators to senior engineering consultants—are being fully sourced and deployed by the company, ensuring continuous operations in coordination with the Government’s recovery teams.
Disaster-response machinery is now positioned across multiple designated sites in the Central Province. Officials say the equipment will be used not only for debris clearance, but also for urgent slope-cutting and stabilisation work to prevent secondary landslides as rainfall persists.
CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of China Harbour Engineering Company Limited, has been a central player in Sri Lanka’s largest foreign direct investment project—the Port City Colombo development. But company officials stressed that its relationship with Sri Lanka extends beyond commercial interests.
“As a foreign investor deeply bound to Sri Lanka’s long-term development journey, our responsibility does not end at project sites,” a senior company representative noted. “It extends to the people and communities who make this country what it is.”
The dual support—financial and operational—has been welcomed by government authorities as the country confronts the enormous human and economic cost of Cyclone Ditwah. Thousands remain displaced, bridges and roads lie destroyed, and emergency personnel continue to work around the clock to restore basic connectivity.
With weather conditions still unstable and the scale of destruction becoming clearer by the hour, officials say the rapid intervention of private-sector partners such as CHEC Port City Colombo has significantly strengthened the national response capacity.
The company’s actions, they added, exemplify the kind of swift, practical support that can save lives and accelerate recovery.
In a moment of profound national crisis, CHEC Port City Colombo’s message is clear: true partnership is defined not by statements, but by immediate, decisive action on the ground.
-By A Staff Writer in Colombo
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by (2025-12-04 19:07:07)
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