(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – Power, Energy and Business Development Minister Ravi Karunanayake urges 6.5 million electricity consumers to help save electricity as they do not intend to have power cuts although the water levels in reservoirs are depleting daily.
The Minister pointed out that the due to the dry weather, the water level in hydro power reservoirs are decreasing day by day and since there is no need to purchase power or increase the rates, the minister urged the consumers to use electricity conservatively.
At a media briefing held yesterday to raise awareness in the problems faced by the power sector due to the prevailing dry weather conditions, the Minister asked the public to turn off two light bulbs daily to save energy.
“Turn off two light bulbs a day. This allows to save up to 100 Megawatts per day. An era has come to use electricity frugally. We will not allow power cuts. We request the people to support us,” Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake said.
“There is a large electricity demand these days. This situation is expected to continue for another one and a half months. Rainfall in the vicinity of power stations is also very low. However, we are working to provide a continuous electricity service to the people. Our engineers at the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and experienced staff will work together to keep this situation in balance,” he further said.
The Minister further said that for the last 10 years, no power generation system has been constructed to meet the electricity requirement. “The minimum we can do is to turn off two light bulbs in a house. It will solve both the people’s and country’s power issues,” the Minister said.
