Sri Lanka's economic crisis deepens, people likely to face severe power outages

There are still anti-government protests taking place in Sri Lanka as the island nation faces its worst economic crisis since it gained its independence in 1948.

Image source: Reuters

Colombo: The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the largest electricity company in Sri Lanka, on Sunday announced that there will be a 4 hour and 30-minute power cut for three days due to the lack of sufficient fuel and water to generate electricity.

Ceylon Electricity Board announced that power cuts will be imposed in 20 zones from 'A' to 'W' between 8.30 am and 6.00 pm (local time) for 3 hours and between 6.00 pm and 10.30 pm (local time) for 30 minutes, Colombo Page reported.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since the country gained independence in 1948. Meanwhile, anti-government protests continue to take place in the island nation, demanding solutions to the current economic crisis.

On April 1, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency, which was withdrawn within a week, following massive protests by angry citizens over the government`s handling of the crisis.

Sri Lanka is now experiencing its greatest economic crisis since independence from British rule in 1948. The slump is blamed on currency shortages caused by the travel ban imposed during the COVID-19 epidemic. This has resulted in the nation`s inability to purchase sufficient fuel, resulting in an extreme shortage of food and essential commodities such as heating fuel and gas.

Sri Lanka appears to be on the edge of a "humanitarian crisis", according to the United Nations Development Programme, as its financial troubles grow, with rising food prices, and the country`s coffers have run dry.

According to World Bank estimates, five lakh people in Sri Lanka have fallen below the poverty line since the onset of the crisis, according to the World Bank.