People in Colombo’s informal settlements claim they are eating half of what they used to since food prices have doubled in less than a year, owing to the country’s increasing economic crisis. Meanwhile, in middle-class neighbourhoods, owners of cafés, bakeries, and salons are being forced to lay off workers and are facing the threat of closing their doors entirely, as customers flee due to hours-long power outages and reduced revenues.
“The whole country is destroyed,” said one woman in Colombo’s Nugegoda district. “Even stray dogs live better than us.”
“Everything is expensive,” said another. “We cannot manage.”
Sri Lanka, an island nation of 22 million people, is experiencing its worst economic downturn in decades, sparked by a foreign exchange crisis.
The government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is unable to pay for fuel imports and other necessities due to a foreign currency shortage. Fuel shortages have resulted, causing rolling energy blackouts of up to 13 hours and ground transportation to come to a halt in several sections of the country.
Diesel, cooking gas, and kerosene queues are widespread, with some claiming having to wait in line for days to collect their rations. At least two people have died while waiting in the sweltering heat, according to police.
Medicine prices have also risen dramatically, while the Sri Lankan rupee has lost 30% of its value against the US dollar this year, making it the world’s worst-performing currency.
The Rajapaksa government has requested a bailout from the International Monetary Fund and is also seeking financial assistance from India, which in February approved a $500 million credit line for fuel imports and in March approved a second $1 billion credit line to help alleviate essentials shortages.
However, since early March, protests asking for the president’s resignation have erupted across the island, two years after the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged one of Sri Lanka’s most important economic sectors: tourism. At various moments during the day, protesters yelling “Go home, Gota,” a reference to the president’s nickname, have taken to the streets in major cities and villages.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
