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

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On April 1, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency, which was withdrawn within a week, following massive protests by angry citizens over the government`s handling of the crisis.

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.