Ampara District's extensive network of inland water bodies — including ancient irrigation tanks, reservoirs, and lagoons that support a significant community of freshwater fishers — is a priority target of the Japan-FAO inland fisheries restoration programme now operating across the Eastern Province following the disruptions caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The joint Japan-FAO initiative, which covers Ampara alongside Batticaloa and Trincomalee, is restocking Ampara's affected reservoirs with fish fingerlings of species valued by local communities, including tilapia, snakehead, and freshwater catfish. Cyclone flooding and siltation had dramatically reduced fish populations in several key water bodies, cutting off income streams for families that depend on inland fishing as their primary or supplementary livelihood. The equipment replacement component is distributing nets, baskets, small fishing craft, and preservation equipment to registered inland fishers who lost their gear during the cyclone. The targeted distribution is designed to enable immediate return to fishing activity without requiring affected families to borrow money at high interest rates to replace lost capital assets — a debt trap that has historically entrenched poverty among cyclone-affected fishing communities. Complementing the physical restoration, the programme is providing training in improved post-harvest handling, the use of simple low-cost ice boxes to extend fish freshness, and market linkage skills that connect inland fishers with urban buyers through cooperative aggregation — improving price realisation and reducing dependence on low-paying local middlemen. Ampara District fisheries officials noted that the programme aligns with the government's broader Eastern Province livelihood resilience strategy, which aims to ensure that the region's diverse fishing, farming, and tourism-dependent communities emerge from the Cyclone Ditwah recovery period with stronger economic foundations than they had before the storm struck.