China News Service, March 31. According to Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" report, the Sri Lanka Public Utilities Commission announced that from March 31, the country's power outage time will be extended from 10 hours a day to 13 hours.
People line up to buy kerosene in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, on March 25, 2022.
Sri Lankan Energy Minister Yarachi warned that the power outages could last until May.
The reason for the blackout measures is the lack of foreign exchange, resulting in a severe shortage of fuel that needs to be imported.
It was previously reported that most of Sri Lanka's electricity relies on coal and oil to generate electricity, and they all need to be imported from abroad.
As the country is in the midst of a severe economic crisis, a severe shortage of foreign exchange prevents the purchase of imported fuel.
In addition, more than 40 percent of the country's electricity is hydroelectric, and officials say water levels in most reservoirs are very low due to dry weather.
The Sri Lankan government said it was seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.