2019 Sri Lanka electricity crisis

rdf:langString 2019 Sri Lanka electricity crisis

rdf:langString April 2019

rdf:langString The 2019 Sri Lanka electricity crisis was a crisis which happened nearly a month from 18 March to 10 April 2019 faced by Sri Lanka caused by a severe drought that depleted water levels at hydroelectric plants. Sri Lanka experienced rolling blackouts for three to five hours per day except on Sundays in all parts of the island nation at different time schedules that started from 24 March 2019 to present. This is regarded as one of the worst blackouts confronted in Sri Lanka since 2016 and the longest ever blackout recorded in history of the country. However it was revealed that the main electricity providing institution Ceylon Electricity Board had restricted the power supply to almost all regions of the country without proper prior notice and implemented a time schedule unofficially from 24 March 2019. However the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy revealed that it didn't grant and approve permission to CEB to impose power cuts. Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena ordered the authorities to take necessary action and remedies to solve the interrupted power supply issue. The Ceylon Electricity Board was widely criticised for its unauthorized action to limit power supply without any public notice and it was alleged that power crisis resulted due to the inabilities and inefficiencies of the CEB in implementing long term plans regarding the supply of electricity. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the minister of Power and Renewable Energy Ravi Karunanayake issued a notice that the temporal power cut crisis will be solved before Sinhalese New Year and Puthandu which falls on 13th and 14th of April 2019. According to the statements claimed by the Power and Energy minister earlier, the power cuts were removed as of 10 April 2019 and further assured that the electricity bills will not be increased and further charges won't be incurred from the public. The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka filed a court case against Ceylon Electricity Board at the Fort Magistrate's Court following the power crisis and the court issued a petition to the officials of CEB to be summoned before 9 April. However the Court ordered the CEB to be summoned before 16 April.