Sri Lanka enforces strict public service energy and fuel saving rules amid Middle East crisis

2026-03-24 - 05:24

Due to the ongoing war situation in the Middle East and the risk of fuel import disruptions to Sri Lanka, new nationwide guidelines have been issued to strictly manage fuel and energy use while ensuring uninterrupted essential services. The guidelines were issued on March 23, 2026 by the Commissioner-General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi to Ministry Secretaries, Provincial Chief Secretaries, District Secretaries, and heads of statutory institutions. The aim is to carefully use existing fuel reserves and maintain essential services without interruption. Under transport and fuel management, government officials are advised to use public transport or shared transport methods such as carpooling instead of individual vehicles when reporting for duty. Institutions are also instructed to prepare daily transport plans that reduce the number of vehicles used, especially for field duties. Officials should avoid calling staff from distant areas for meetings and instead use online platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet. For communication and information sharing, the use of email and WhatsApp is encouraged, while minimizing the physical transport of documents. Authorities highlight that if one liter of fuel is saved daily from the 92,000 vehicles owned by the public sector, about 110 million liters of fuel could be saved each year. The guidelines also focus heavily on electricity and energy conservation. Air conditioners must be set at 26°C or higher and should be turned off for 1–2 hours during working hours, with electric fans used whenever possible. Institutions are encouraged to use natural lighting and reduce reliance on air conditioning. Additionally, advertising boards and display screens must be switched off after 9:00 PM, and televisions in government institutions should remain off during the daytime. Streetlights should be turned off when not necessary, and as a temporary measure, lighting on roads outside high-security zones may also be switched off. The use of elevators should be minimized, with staff encouraged to use staircases. Local authorities have also been instructed to support these energy-saving measures. Operational changes have also been introduced. Where possible, staff should work through online systems without physically reporting to offices. Institutions are required to remain closed after official working hours and on weekends, except for essential services. The Commissioner-General emphasized that all public officials must act as role models in supporting national energy conservation efforts during this external crisis and ensure maximum contribution to maintaining the country’s energy security.