Sri Lanka’s population is almost under lockdown due to a crippling national debt issue, which has also stopped the South Asian island from getting new petroleum supplies.
A spokeswoman for the island country, Bandula Gunawardena, said on television that the cabinet of ministers had decided to limit the supply of petroleum to just vital services until July 10. He also saw the imminent end of interprovincial public transit.
Port, health services, food transport will be provided petrol and diesel while all other sectors are requested to stay at home and provide services online in this difficult time.
Our country is facing an unprecedented state of finance and foreign exchange crisis.
Bandula Gunawardena
The prime minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, issued a dire warning this week, noting that as basic commodities and energy shortages worsen, the island nation is unable to purchase fuel, even with cash. Local authorities are in talks with the International Monetary Fund as well as bilateral creditors like India and China for additional money to pay for imports after its default on its dollar-denominated notes earlier this year led to a decline in its foreign reserves.
Sri Lanka plans to enable foreign companies to supply gasoline, according to Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, who made the announcement on Sunday in an effort to alleviate the acute shortages that have halted most industrial operations.
Many roads in and around Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, were deserted over the past few days due to the government’s decision to close public schools and request that all civil servants work from home. This was despite the fact that thousands of vehicles were parked in long lines waiting to refuel at filling stations.
In order to secure new supplies, the administration is sending envoys to Qatar and Russia this week. They are also hoping India would approve a $500 million credit line for petroleum imports.
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