Sri Lanka, Dec. 9 -- An estimated 2.3 million people - more than half of them women - were living in areas flooded by Cyclone Ditwah that struck Sri Lanka on 28 November.

New geospatial analysis from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) shows floodwaters from the cyclone inundated more than 1.1 million hectares - almost 20 percent of the country's land area - and caused significant damage to homes, infrastructure and essential services.

The analysis, which draws from disaster related data from the Government of Sri Lanka, provides a nationwide picture of the cyclone's impact, which is being termed as one of the worst flooding disasters to hit Sri Lanka in decades.

Over half of the people in the flooded areas were living in h...