麻豆约拍

As Sri Lanka continues to face its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years, two Colombo residents describe the impact this is having on ordinary citizens. Sundan, a consultant, explains how the increasing fuel shortages meant he had to spend four nights queueing for petrol. Public transport and taxis are becoming more and more inaccessible, and he needed to ensure the family car had enough fuel to be able to take his pregnant wife to the hospital.

Krishni, a hotelier, says the industry has been struggling since December amidst dwindling gas supplies and regular power cuts. Tourists are just not able to get around. Most evenings she struggles to get a Tuk (auto-rickshaws) to get home and ends up walking as close to home as possible. When she does get home, she is unable to cook as there is no gas. She has been surviving on food that doesn't require cooking or eating out. She did use food delivery services but these are now no longer able to operate.

Krishni says, "Even if you have money, we can't get gas, we can't food. we can't get a ride to even get to hospital if we needed to".

(Photo: Auto-rickshaws drivers pass the time with a game of cards while they are waiting in a queue to get fuel from a gas station amid a fuel shortage in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Credit: Chamila Karunarathne/EPA)

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