COLOMBO, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will establish a new integrated framework to safeguard and rebuild the Central Highlands following widespread damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Wednesday.

The president said the institutions responsible for construction and land management, agriculture, livestock and environmental conservation work in silos, and this has hampered efforts to restore the Central Highlands at a rapid pace.

He said the new framework aims to bring all relevant stakeholders together to accelerate protection and reconstruction efforts.

The remarks were made during a discussion at the Presidential Secretariat with representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and government and private sector institutions, focusing on securing the Central Highlands and restoring forest plantations.

Officials said nearly 4,000 landslides occurred in the region due to Cyclone Ditwah, with prolonged unauthorized construction, cultivation activities and poor maintenance contributing to the damage. The meeting stressed the urgent need for a national policy to protect the Central Highlands and preserve them for future generations, the President's Media Division (PMD) said.

The discussion also highlighted the need to establish an authority empowered under relevant legislation to oversee these activities, with the president instructing officials to expedite implementation, the PMD said.

Representatives from the ADB and the UNDP underscored the importance of maintaining a dedicated financial fund for restoration initiatives and reaffirmed their full support for Sri Lanka's efforts. ■