From Milk, Chicken To Fuel: Basic Necessities Out Of Reach For Sri Lankans

Things just seem to be going from bad to worse for India¡¯s neighbor Sri Lanka. The island nation is in the midst of one of the worst financial crises in decades, exacerbated by a tourism collapse in the past two years thanks to Covid.

According to The Guardian, basic necessities like milk, chicken and fuel are slowly becoming out of reach for Sri Lankans.

AFP

Also Read: Amid Poverty & Starvation, Desperate Afghans Sell Kidneys For Survival

Necessities Becoming Rarer Than Gold Dust

Sachets of milk powder have become rarer than gold dust in recent weeks.

As per a report in The Guardian, Shamla Laxman, a 54-year-old Sri Lankan woman who feeds a family of seven in her small house, says ¡°These days it¡¯s become impossible to find, and when you do find it in a shop, the prices are so expensive, double or triple what it was before, that I can¡¯t afford it for my family.¡±

On the other hand, chicken, which used to be a staple, is now a luxury item after it more than doubled in price. Shamla says ¡°All our basic items have become almost unaffordable now. Every day I am fearful of not being able to feed my family tomorrow.¡±

With food prices skyrocketing, there has been a continued dearth of essential goods, fruit and vegetables in Sri Lanka.

Long queues are being formed outside petrol stations due to a shortage of fuel. And recently in the past week, rotational power cuts had begun to be imposed across the island and warnings were issued that water supplies might also soon be disrupted.

Another example of the crisis impacting the daily lives of people is a 40 year old civil engineer in Colombo who has been driving autorickshaw.

As per The Guardian, Nishan Shanaka, now drives an auto-rickshaw in the evenings and on the weekends because his salary won¡¯t cover the cost of food and his children¡¯s education. He has described his family¡¯s struggle to afford flour and bread and said they now existed on cheap vegetables.

He said ¡°The cost of everything is far too high now, even if I go to buy a toffee it¡¯s unaffordable.. The high fuel prices are impacting everything, my daughters can¡¯t even get the school bus because they can¡¯t afford to run them any more.¡±

eastasiaforum

Also Read: Amid Crisis, Pakistan Govt Planning To Borrow People's Gold For Help

Fuel Crisis

Last week, two ships carrying diesel and a tanker of fuel oil could not be brought in as the Sri Lankan government didn¡¯t have the dollars to pay for it, as per The Guardian.

Over the weekend, President of the Lanka Private Bus Owners¡¯ Association had warned that buses were not being given enough petrol to continue functioning, journeys were already being shortened, and if this continues, public transport will collapse and the economy will come to a standstill.

Also Read: How Sri Lanka's Economic Crisis Has Led To Used Cars Costing More Than A Luxury Flat

For the latest financial news, keep reading Worth. Click here