In Pictures

Photos: Power cuts in Sri Lanka have hit all walks of life

Children are studying using kerosene oil lamps, fishermen cutting back on fishing and industries limiting production.

Sri Lankans queue up to buy diesel at a fuel station in Colombo — Sri Lankans queue to buy diesel at a fuel station in Colombo. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]

By AP

Sri Lanka is going through hours of daily power cuts, unable to keep its oil-powered turbines going because of a fuel shortage and a lack of foreign currency to pay for oil imports.

The crisis has forced children to study using homemade kerosene oil lamps, fishermen to limit fishing and shops and industries to limit production and business.

Government ministers have admitted that they struggle to pay the ships that dock in Colombo port and wait to unload their fuel stocks.

Sri Lanka also has coal-fired power plants as well as hydroelectric ones, but dry weather has limited hydropower production.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last week sacked Udaya Gammanpila as energy minister after he publicly discussed the enormity of the crisis and criticised authorities for not prioritising imports.

Vehicles and people holding containers stand in sometimes queues that sometimes stretch for kilometres at gas stations. Passenger buses and trucks transporting goods are unable to operate normally. The limited number of foreign tourists visiting the country are confined to their hotels, unable to travel. Some spend time in the dark.

Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves have dwindled because its tourism sector was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and exports are down. Additionally, the country has to pay billions of dollars in foreign debts for infrastructure projects that are not making money.

This year’s loan repayment obligations alone cost nearly $7bn.

A train and vehicles roll in the dark during a power cut in Kelaniya, on the outskirts of Colombo. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]

A cement brick making machine is seen idle without operation during a power cut in Hendala — A cement brick machine is seen sitting idle during a power cut in Hendala, a suburb of Colombo. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]

A Sri Lankan coir mill worker takes a nap at an idle production line during a power cut in Hendala. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]

A Sri Lankan boy watches youth playing a pick up game of cricket — A Sri Lankan boy watches youths playing a pickup game of cricket at an indoor facility lit up using a diesel-powered electric generator in Hendala. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP photo]

A Sri Lankan street food vendor serves customers outside a closed shop due to power cuts in Hendala — A Sri Lankan street food vendor serves customers outside a shop closed due to power cuts. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]

A Sri Lankan girl uses a kerosine oil lamp to attend online lessons during a power cut in Colombo — A Sri Lankan girl uses a kerosene oil lamp to attend online lessons during a power cut in Colombo. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]

A Sri Lankan retailer uses his diesel powered truck to light up his sales outlet in Kelaniya — A Sri Lankan retailer uses his diesel-powered truck to light up his sales outlet in Kelaniya, on the outskirts of Colombo. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]

Sri Lanka's Japan friendship bridge, one of the entrance points to capital Colombo — Sri Lanka's Japan Friendship Bridge, one of the entrance points to the capital Colombo, is seen in the dark as workers load iron scraps onto a lorry during a power cut in Peliyagoda, on the outskirts of Colombo. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]

A Sri Lankan auto rickshaw driver, left, and other motorists queue up for fuel along a road near a fuel pump during a power cut — A Sri Lankan auto-rickshaw driver, left, and other motorists queue up for fuel along a road near a fuel pump during a power cut in Wattala on the outskirts of Colombo. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]