Sri Lanka, an island nation with a population of 22 million, recently experienced a nationwide power outage attributed to a monkey invading a power station in the southern part of the capital Colombo.
The country faced the large-scale power outage on Sunday morning at 11 am local time. Many residents had to rely on generators, while those without them were left in darkness during the night.
Following swift repairs by engineers, power has been gradually restored in various regions, with priority given to healthcare facilities and water purification plants.
The Ceylon Electricity Board publicly apologized for the power outage on Sunday without providing a detailed explanation for the widespread impact.
Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody stated during a press conference that the outage was caused by a monkey coming into contact with the electrical grid transformer at the Panadura Power Station in the southern part of Colombo, leading to a system imbalance.
The incident sparked reactions from numerous netizens on social media. Some remarked, “One monkey equals complete chaos. Is it time to reconsider infrastructure upgrades?”
Jamila Husain, the editor-in-chief of the Sri Lankan Daily Mirror, wrote, “Only in Sri Lanka would a group of monkeys fighting inside a power station result in a nationwide power outage.”
In its report on Monday, the newspaper mentioned that engineers have been warning successive governments for “many years” to upgrade the grid, or else frequent outages would occur.
Quoting a senior engineer, the report stated, “The national grid is in such a fragile state that if one of our lines is disturbed, it could lead to frequent island-wide outages.”
According to The Guardian, power shortages are not unfamiliar to the people of Sri Lanka. During the severe economic crisis in 2022, scheduled power cuts became a harsh reality as fuel shortages forced authorities to limit electricity for up to 13 hours each day.
With an increasing number of incidents, monkeys have become a growing issue in Sri Lanka. As humans encroach on forested areas, these animals venture into villages in search of food, causing damage to crops. The country’s endemic macaque population is estimated to be between 2 to 3 million.