Sri Lanka has announced a shortened work week for state institutions, schools, and universities in a bid to conserve its dwindling fuel reserves amid growing concerns over the ongoing war in the Middle East, officials said Monday (Mar 16).
The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route through which roughly 20 per cent of global exports normally pass, has effectively been closed by Iran in retaliation over US and Israeli military action, now entering its third week.
Commissioner-General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi confirmed that state offices will operate four days a week starting Wednesday, while private companies have been urged to declare every Wednesday a holiday to reduce fuel consumption.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told senior officials that essential services, including hospitals, ports, and emergency response units, will continue to function normally. Public ceremonies have been suspended, and civil servants are encouraged to work from home wherever possible. “We must prepare for the worst, but hope for the best,” he said following an emergency meeting.
Sri Lanka, which imports all of its oil and also purchases coal for electricity generation, began fuel rationing on Sunday. Each motorist is now limited to 15 litres of petrol or diesel per week, while public transport operators have been allocated up to 200 litres. Officials warned that the country’s petrol and diesel reserves will last roughly six weeks, and any disruption in supply could severely impact the nation.
The country sources refined petroleum products from Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea, while crude oil for its Iran-built refinery comes from the Middle East. Authorities have warned that a prolonged war could hinder efforts to recover from the economic crisis of 2022, when Sri Lanka defaulted on US$46 billion of foreign debt. Since then, Colombo has secured a US$2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
Other countries in the region have also introduced austerity measures amid rising energy concerns. Pakistan has shifted schools and universities to online learning and instructed office workers to work from home, while also cutting fuel allowances for government vehicles and temporarily suspending salaries for some officials. The Philippines has moved to a four-day work week to mitigate the economic fallout of the Middle East conflict, according to President Ferdinand Marcos.
Meanwhile, Laos has experienced severe fuel shortages, with long queues at petrol stations in its capital and more than 40 per cent of the nation’s 2,538 filling stations closed. The country relies on neighbouring Thailand for fuel, and while Thailand initially suspended exports to conserve supplies, it has since reassured Laos that fuel shipments are on the way.
The region-wide measures highlight the increasing economic and logistical strain caused by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, underlining the vulnerability of countries heavily reliant on imported energy supplies.
