According to Sri Lanka's energy minister, the country has less than a day's worth of fuel left, and as the country's economic situation worsens, public transportation has come to a complete stop.
As long lines snaked through Colombo's main city, Kanchana Wijesekera, minister of power and energy, stated on Sunday that the country's gasoline stockpiles were at roughly 4,000 tonnes, just enough for one day's worth of use.Due to the lack of petrol for instructors and parents to transport students to classes and the fact that the majority of pumping stations have been without fuel for days, the cash-strapped nation on Sunday extended school cancellations.
The next oil cargo is anticipated to arrive on July 22, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Al Jazeera last week. Until then, there would be a shortage of gasoline. He said that a gas agreement has been reached that will guarantee supplies for the ensuing four months.
"The lack of fuel is a major setback for the economy and has made life difficult for many people. The lack of money when we arrived was a real factor in our predicament. Since then, we have been taking action, particularly to obtain gas, which will be available in the next days, as well as diesel and furnace oil," he said.
"Petrol has been the problem, and that will take some time. Although I have requested the [concerned] minister to attempt to get the shipment earlier, we are hoping to receive the shipment of gasoline by July 22.Massive difficulty
According to Wijesekera, the government has placed an order for fresh fuel supplies, and the first ship carrying 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel is scheduled to arrive on Friday.The minister claimed that a lack of dollars is the primary issue and urged the two million Sri Lankans working overseas to send their foreign exchange earnings through regular channels rather than illegal ones. He claimed that in June, worker remittances, which typically totaled $600 million per month, fell to $318 million.
Finding money is difficult. It's a major undertaking, he remarked.
To save gasoline and diesel for emergencies, Sri Lanka stated last week that all fuel sales would stop for two weeks, with the exception of critical services.There have reportedly been periodic fights outside gas stations, according to local media. Soldiers fired last week to disperse a mob protesting the military skipping the line.
Political unrest has been brought on by the economic collapse, which has resulted in protracted anti-government demonstrations across the nation. In order to demand petrol and fuel, protesters have blocked major thoroughfares, and television stations have shown people fighting in some neighborhoods over scarce supplies.Protesters in Colombo have been blocking the president's office entrance for more than two months in an effort to get President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down.
They accuse him of leading the nation into trouble through corruption and bad leadership along with his wealthy family, which includes several siblings who hold prominent government positions.The country is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis, with its 22 million residents dealing with extreme challenges on a daily basis due to a lack of foreign currency to pay for even the most basic goods.
Additionally, the nation has seen prolonged power outages and record-high inflation since late last year.
To cut down on commuting and save energy, all non-essential government offices and schools have been ordered closed until July 10.
Because they are unable to deliver enough fuel to power producing plants, authorities have announced up to three-hour daily nationwide power outages starting on Monday.The majority of Sri Lanka's gasoline requirements have been met by its neighbor India, which also gave them a credit line.
"We either use Indian credit lines or the foreign currency we receive from remittances to purchase fuel. Even though the remittances are little, every now and then we receive one or even two billion dollars. According to Wickremesinghe, "The remaining reserves from what we received from creditors have already been exhausted."
The government claimed to be in talks with petroleum suppliers in Malaysia and Russia as well.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which just concluded a 10-day visit to Sri Lanka, stated last week that negotiations for a potential $3 billion bailout package will continue
However, the IMF is unlikely to disburse money right away because the nation must first put its debt on a manageable course.
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