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Lanka can’t afford fossil fuels but can’t afford to get off them either

Published

4 years ago

2022/07/31

(climatechangenews)

Sri Lanka is in turmoil, with fuel and food shortages provoking citizens to storm the presidential palace and send Gotobaya Rajapaksa packing.Reliance on fossil fuel imports is a big factor in the economic crisis. Fuel prices spiking while tourism stayed in the doldrums led to the country running out of foreign currency, not helped by chronic fiscal mismanagement.

That same economic crisis is now making it harder than ever for Sri Lanka to develop a renewable industry, energy experts and business owners say.On 31 March, protesters marched on president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private residence. Things escalated until on 9 July, they stormed the presidential palace, prompting Rajapaksa to resign and flee to Singapore. He appointed an ally, Ranil Wickremesinghe, as his successor and this week a Sri Lankan official said Rajapaksa himself would return to the country, dampening hopes of substantive political change.

Sri Lanka’s economic crisis stems from consistently importing more than it exports. As the country pays in foreign currency (largely US dollars) for imports and sells in foreign currency for exports, its central bank’s foreign currency reserves have been depleting.The government didn’t have enough Sri Lankan rupees to pay for imports so prices of products, including essentials like food and fuel, shot up.

Between 1990 and 2000, Sri Lanka’s net energy imports as a percentage of total energy use doubled from 20% to 40% and has stayed around the same ever since. In 2021, the country spent $3.7bn on imports of oil and coal. Sri Lanka has no significant fossil fuel reserves. It does, according to the World Bank, have good potential for solar and wind power. Yet it has failed to develop either technology. It gets around a third of its electricity from imported oil, a third from imported coal and a third from domestic hydropower.

Lankan journalist Rathindra Kuruwita said this failure to develop renewables was largely the fault of the island’s state-owned monopoly utility provider, the Ceylon Electricity Board.

“Most of the engineers are in cahoots with the power plant mafia,” he said. This “mafia” is not an organised crime mob, but a network of people with a vested interest in fossil fuels: power plant operators, diesel distributors and coal importers.

The Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority has also been slow in approving licenses for renewable projects, he said. If those projects had been approved, Kuruwita added, “we wouldn’t be in this mess”.

When an electrical engineer named Champika Ranawaka became energy minister in 2015, he tried to reform the CEB, Kuruwita said. He lasted eight months in the role.Now the country has run out of foreign currency to import the amount of fossil fuels its infrastructure needs. There are shortages of electricity, of cooking gas and of fuel for vehicles and for the diesel generators used as back-up power.

Before terrorist attacks in 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic, tourism provided 6% of Sri Lanka’s GDP. There were hopes it would rebound this year and bring in much needed foreign currency.But Nimesh, who works in the Atha resort in central Sri Lanka, told Climate Home that tourists are finding it hard to find vehicles to transport them as drivers are having to queue for days to get fuel.On top of that, small hotels and restaurants are suffering from power cuts. Larger hotels have generators but are finding it difficult to find fuel for them.

“These power cuts and fuel shortages are really affecting the tourism industry,” he said.

Lien Wysmans runs a backpackers’ hostel on Arugam Bay beach in the island’s east. She told Climate Home: “There are power cuts as well of about four or five hours a day… I’m freaking out”.

Although Wysmans says her guests don’t mind the power cuts, others are less tolerant. A March 2022 review for a beachfront Airbnb gives one star, citing “power cut- not their fault but created problem for us” among the reasons.A Financial Times reporter who visited the country recently said: “Anyone considering a trip to Sri Lanka this year or next also faces a difficult choice. Avoid the country entirely and the risk of a severely impacted and unexpectedly expensive trip, or support a vulnerable economy unduly impacted by the pandemic and poor management.”

Electric vehicles (with enough electricity) and rooftop solar panels would solve many of the tourist industry’s problems. But rolling them out requires money which most Sri Lankan citizens and their government don’t have.

Wysmans said solar panels “would be definitely a very good solution”. She can’t install them as she is renting the property but, even if she owned it, she said that the return on investment is 25 years. “It’s economically not beneficial for anybody because it’s just too expensive,” she said. “Also, the government is not really supporting.”

Nimesh said: “Solar panels are a great solution but the problem is government can’t afford to give financial support to invest in these projects due to the critical financial crisis that our country is facing”.

There are international schemes to help, like a Asian Development Bank funded scheme to provide low-interest loans for rooftop solar power. But these are on a small scale.

Speaking from her native Belgium, Wysmans said: “Sri Lanka has a really great opportunity for being a self-sustainable renewable energy island but the corruption is stopping all of it.”

“They’ve got the sun, they’ve got the water, they’ve got the wind, they just need to do it,” she added, “but if you have a corrupt government who wants to bring oil in where they can put half the money in their own pocket, it’s never going to happen.”

The Sustainable Energy Authority did not reply to a request for comment.

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A new curriculum will be introduced for preschools in 2027, while steps will also be taken to train teachers accordingly – PM

Published

6 hours ago

2026/03/16

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that a new curriculum will be introduced for preschools in 2027, while steps will also be taken to train teachers accordingly and to regulate preschools through a regulatory authority.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing an awareness programme for preschool teachers in the Hambantota District on education reforms, held on Sunday (15) at the Ambalantota Pradeshiya Sabha Auditorium.

During the programme, preschool teachers briefed the Prime Minister about the challenges they currently face. Responding to their concerns, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya further stated:

“The issues within the preschool system cannot be discussed separately from the broader crisis in society and in the education sector. When we assumed office in 2024, our primary challenge was to free the country from its debt burden and to establish. a sound economic indicators.

Although 2025 was a challenging year, we were able to bring the country’s economy to a certain level of stability and manage the national budget accordingly.

While we were working towards economic recovery, the war in the Middle East began, which has had certain impacts on our country as well.

A significant amount of Sri Lanka’s foreign remittances come from our fellow citizens working in the Middle East. Today, both their livelihoods and employment are under threat. In addition, a large number of tourists travelled to Sri Lanka through Middle Eastern airspace, and the closure of those air routes and airports has reduced tourist arrivals. Another issue concerns fuel transportation. This problem has affected not only Sri Lanka but many countries around the world. If the war continues for a long period, it will have further impacts on us, and therefore we must be prepared. We also need to manage the economy carefully and reduce certain expenditures.

Although we have the ability to borrow, our intention is not to weaken the country’s economy by relying on loans.

You are aware that we have begun implementing education reforms. Within that policy framework, we are also taking steps to reform preschool education. So far, the establishment of preschools and early childhood development has not been carried out in a systematic manner. Therefore, we must regulate and standardize all preschools, which is not an easy task.

First, all preschools must be formally registered. We have already prepared a curriculum for teacher training. In addition, we plan to introduce a new curriculum for preschools in 2027, provide teacher training accordingly, and regulate preschools through a regulatory authority. A recognized curriculum has also been prepared for the preschool diploma. In the future, priority for preschool teachers will be given based on these qualifications. We will also take gradual steps to enhance the professionalism of preschool teachers and establish a proper salary structure”.

The Prime Minister further stated that preschools fall under the authority of Provincial Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas, while the line ministry can only provide policy recommendations. She also emphasized that issues related to preschools should be addressed in a systematic manner through structural committees and District Development Committees.

Member of Parliament Nihal Galappaththi and other public representatives, along with preschool teachers from the Hambantota District attended the awareness program.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

News

Be mindful of the accuracy of information before sharing it on social media – PM

Published

7 hours ago

2026/03/16

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the weakening of public trust in information disseminated through the media is extremely dangerous for a society, and emphasized that people must be mindful of the truthfulness of information before sharing it on social media.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the “Sandeshaya” Media Awards Ceremony held on 14 March at the Kularathne Hall of Ananda College, Colombo. The event was organized with the aim of providing Sri Lankan school students with an opportunity to actively contribute to the national media discourse while promoting ethics, responsibility, and critical thinking.

During the “Sandeshaya” Awards Ceremony , lifetime awards granted only once in a lifetime were presented to distinguished veterans in the media field, while media awards were also presented to talented students in the school category. The ceremony was held under the patronage of the Prime Minister.

Expressing her views further, the Prime Minister stated:

“We live in an era where information technology and the media are changing rapidly. Along with these changes, many opportunities have emerged, but we are also confronted with numerous challenges.

We must prepare our younger generation to live in a society and a world transformed by information technology and the media.

When we observe the changes taking place in the media today, we can say that the media and information have become democratized. In the past, access to knowledge and information was largely limited to privileged or powerful groups. The authority to communicate information and decide what should be disseminated was held by a small group. However, with the advancement of technology, this has changed dramatically. As a result of this revolutionary transformation, information, data, and knowledge have now become accessible to everyone. In that sense, it is a positive development.

At the same time, we are no longer merely media viewers or consumers. As citizens, we can also become media creators. Citizens now have significant space to engage with the media and share information. While this is positive in one sense, it also carries certain dangers. There are serious questions, issues, and challenges regarding responsibility and credibility in the dissemination of information. Today, information flows so rapidly that it is sometimes difficult to determine what is true. Making decisions has become increasingly challenging. Not only in our country but globally, there have been many instances where societies have been set ablaze due to misinformation or deliberately distorted information. We have witnessed numerous occasions where people’s lives have been destroyed as a result.

Sometimes, without even realizing it, we get trapped on the internet. We share various things through our social media platforms, both necessary and unnecessary. However, what we often forget is that a large amount of personal information accumulates on the internet through these actions. Once incorrect information becomes widespread in this way, it becomes extremely difficult to erase.

The spread of false information weakens public trust in the information provided by the media, and this is extremely dangerous for a society. For the sustainability of a society, it is essential to maintain trust among citizens and trust in the institutions that influence people’s lives. Only through the trust we can safeguard the sustainability, continuity, and security of a society.

However, what has happened today due to the spread of misinformation? We no longer have confidence in our leaders. We do not even trust elders. There is doubt about whether the news we receive can be trusted. When credibility weakens within a society, it can push that society into crisis.

Therefore, it is extremely important to cultivate a culture that strengthens trust in leadership, promotes confidence in elders, and enhances awareness about reliable sources of information. In this context, those entering the field of media carry a significant responsibility.

Just like the senior professionals we honored today, you too may one day enter this field. However, there is a vast difference between the era in which they entered the profession and the era you will enter. You will carry a unique responsibility to strengthen the credibility of the media and to stand firmly behind the information you present.

You must be able to stand by the information you provide. You must reflect on whether the information you share is true and who might be affected by it. Ensuring the credibility of the information you disseminate is also your responsibility.

Similarly, as users of any form of media, we all bear a responsibility to verify the reliability of the information we receive and to be aware of how to distinguish between truth and falsehood. That is why digital literacy and media literacy are essential. It is also for this reason that we believe such subjects and concepts must be incorporated into education reforms so that our student generation can learn them.’

The Prime Minister further stated that citizens have a responsibility to be mindful of the truthfulness of information before sharing content found on the internet and social media with others.

The event was attended by the Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media Anil Jasinghe, Principal of Ananda College D.M.L.P. Dissanayake, journalists, principals, teachers, and students.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

Latest News

Heat Index at ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Monaragala, Mannar, Anuradhapura and Vavuniya districts

Published

8 hours ago

2026/03/16

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology at 3.30 p.m. on 15 March 2026, valid for 16 March 2026.

The public is warned that the Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at
some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Monaragala, Mannar, Anuradhapura and Vavuniya districts.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491