Sri Lanka’s Fuel Crisis Deepens As Country Runs Short Of Supplies

Sri Lanka is appealing for credit from other countries, international companies and foreign suppliers for fuel stocks to get it through the next two weeks.

A senior government official made the disclosure on Monday.

Sri Lanka’s appeal came as it was running short of its own supplies and was banking on stocks from an Indian company to provide diesel and petrol to the public.

The members of which have been agitating at filling stations.

An official from the Power and Energy Ministry said Sri Lanka has appealed to Malaysia and India for fuel for the next two weeks, to meet basic public demand.

The Lanka Indian Oil Company issued one million litres of petrol and diesel to its 202 fuel stations in the country on Sunday.

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said on Sunday that the government only had enough fuel supplies for one day, but that the next petrol shipment was due only in two weeks.

Nearly 1,200 state-controlled fuel stations have stopped issuing fuel for private vehicles, saving it for vehicles needed to maintain essential services, such as health and food distribution.

There have been sporadic incidents in the past week in which members of the public waiting for long hours in fuel queues have clashed with the police.

Sri Lanka’s unprecedented economic crisis has lingered for months and left it unable to raise the dollars to pay for fuel, gas, medicine and food.

The country has been in talks with the International Monetary Fund to finalise a relief package.