Public transport, hospitals, stock market and telecommunications, not to mention millions of inhabitants, are affected by the shortage of diesel and fuel oil on the island, unable to pay for its imports.
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The Sri Lankan state monopoly in charge of electricity announced power cuts of 1 p.m. from this Thursday, due to a lack of fuel for the generators.
Not a drop of diesel was on sale Thursday in Sri Lanka, hampering transport and worsening power cuts in this country in turmoil for lack of foreign currency to pay for its imports. The island is hit by the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948.
The 22 million inhabitants of the country are experiencing power cuts of record duration. The shortages are sparking anger and local television has reported protests with hundreds of motorists blocking major thoroughfares in several towns.
Diesel, the main fuel used by buses and coaches as well as commercial vehicles, was no longer available at service stations on the island, according to authorities and press reports. Gasoline remained available for sale but in small quantities, forcing motorists to abandon their cars in huge queues.
“We are still drawing on old diesel stocks”
The owners of private buses and coaches, which represent two-thirds of the fleet in the country, have announced that they are running out of fuel and cannot provide even a minimum service from Friday. “We are still drawing on old stocks of diesel, but if we don’t get a supply by tonight we won’t be able to operate,” said the president of the association of private bus and coach operators. , Gemunu Wijeratne.
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Diesel, the main fuel used by buses and coaches as well as commercial vehicles, is no longer available at service stations on the island, according to the authorities.
Thirteen hours a day, the country is without electricity
The state monopoly in charge of electricity announced power cuts of 1 p.m. from Thursday, due to a lack of fuel for the generators. “We are promised new deliveries within two days and if that happens we can reduce the duration of power cuts,” Ceylon Electricity Board Chairman MMC Ferdinando told reporters. The level of the hydraulic reservoirs which provide more than a third of the electricity demand is, according to him, dangerously low.
The long power cuts forced the Colombo Stock Exchange to halve its trading. Many companies are asking non-essential staff to stay home. Electricity rationing is also hitting mobile phone towers, affecting call quality, operators said, adding that their backup generators were also running out of fuel. Several public hospitals have stopped performing operations and lack life-saving drugs. Most have also stopped performing diagnostic and screening tests that require imported chemicals.
Colombo imposed drastic import restrictions in March 2020 in an attempt to save its foreign exchange reserves to service its $51 billion foreign debt. Shortages have multiplied in the process and prices have exploded. The government is seeking an agreement with the International Monetary Fund and trying to borrow from India and China.